What wages can you expect to earn in Denmark?
At an average of €46.90/hour, workers in Denmark earn the highest hourly wage in the European Union. But how do different professions stack up?
Using Statistics Denmark data from 2020, the most recent year for which data is available, the Local Denmark has compiled a table with a sampling of average salaries across industries. We've rounded to the nearest hundred kroner and used the average exchange rate for 2020 to determine yearly salary in euros (again rounding to the nearest hundred euros).
And remember, these numbers are before SKAT — the Danish tax agency — takes its cut. Income tax rates in Denmark are progressive and vary based on where you live, with Copenhagen income taxes ranging from a floor of 37 percent to a maximum of 53 percent.
READ MORE: Why is Denmark opposed to an EU minimum wage?
Service Industry and Tourism
Snopes, the viral internet fact-checking site, famously validated claims that Danish McDonald's workers in Denmark earn over US$20 an hour, which many Americans rejected as impossible. But possible it is — waiters and bartenders make an average of more than 26,000 kroner a month, and all without tips!
Waiters and bartenders
26,800 kroner/month
€43,100 per year
Cleaners (private, hotel, and office)
29,000
€46,700
Hotel managers
49,500
€79,600
Restaurant managers
61,800
€99,400
Hotel receptionists
31,000
€49,900
READ MORE: What's the tipping culture in Denmark?
Healthcare
As of the first quarter of 2022, just under 198,000 people in Denmark were working in healthcare, accounting for seven percent of the entire labour force. Nurses are in particular demand after a wave of resignations following strikes in summer of 2021.
Medical doctors
63,600 kroner/month
€102,300 per year
Specialists
87,800
€141,200
Nurses
42,200
€67,900
Midwives
41,000
€65,900
Dentists
61,200
€98,400
Pharmacists
65,500
€105,400
Psychologists
48,300
€77,700
READ MORE: Denmark must do more to avoid shortage of nurses: health authority
Education
Denmark offers public education for toddlers all the way though to graduate students, and has the bills to back it up. In 2020, Denmark invested more than 6 percent of its total GDP in education, according to Eurostat.
University and higher education teachers
49,600 kroner/month
€79,800 per year
Vocational education teacher
43,700
€70,300
Secondary education teachers
50,300
€80,900
Primary school and early childhood
41,000
€66,000
Language teachers
47,500
€76,400
Creative Industries
International hits like Borgen and the Chestnut Man have made Danish actors household names. But screenwriters, producers and other industry creatives have been pushing for fairer rights-sharing and compensation agreements with streaming giants like Netflix — with mixed results.
Photographers
39,000 kroner/month
€62,700 / year
Authors, journalists and linguists
49,000
€78,800
Graphic and multimedia designers
40,400
€65,000
Public relations
48,400
€77,900
Advertising and marketing
49,000
€78,800
Film, stage, and related directors and producers
43,900
€70,600
READ MORE: How streaming is pushing Danish film to breaking point
Technology and IT
Software developers
57,600 kroner/month
€92,700 / year
Web and multimedia developers
47,700
€76,700
Applications programmers
60,000
€96,500
Engineering
Just like any other country, engineers in Denmark take home a tidy sum, with mining engineers leading the pack.
Mechanical Engineers
59,000 kroner/month
€94,900 / year
Chemical Engineers
65,000
€104,600
Mining engineers, metallurgists and related professionals
82,600
€132,900
Electronics engineers
61,200
€98,400
READ MORE: How can you get a work permit in Denmark if you are not an EU national
Miscellaneous
To round out our list, we've chosen some roles you might encounter in your everyday life, or in a Richard Scarry illustration. You can explore the full data sheet provided by Statistics Denmark here.
Lawyers
65,600
€105,500 / year
Air traffic controllers
72,000
€115,800
Airplane pilots
81,600
€131,300
Veterinarians
53,000
€85,300
Police officers
42,700
€68,700
Building and related trades workers (excluding electricians)
38,200
€61,500
Painters
34,200
€55,000
Car, taxi and van drivers
30,100
€48,400
Garbage and recycling collectors
39,000
€62,700
Bus and tram drivers
32,500
€52,279
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Using Statistics Denmark data from 2020, the most recent year for which data is available, the Local Denmark has compiled a table with a sampling of average salaries across industries. We've rounded to the nearest hundred kroner and used the average exchange rate for 2020 to determine yearly salary in euros (again rounding to the nearest hundred euros).
And remember, these numbers are before SKAT — the Danish tax agency — takes its cut. Income tax rates in Denmark are progressive and vary based on where you live, with Copenhagen income taxes ranging from a floor of 37 percent to a maximum of 53 percent.
READ MORE: Why is Denmark opposed to an EU minimum wage?
Service Industry and Tourism
Snopes, the viral internet fact-checking site, famously validated claims that Danish McDonald's workers in Denmark earn over US$20 an hour, which many Americans rejected as impossible. But possible it is — waiters and bartenders make an average of more than 26,000 kroner a month, and all without tips!
| Waiters and bartenders | 26,800 kroner/month | €43,100 per year |
| Cleaners (private, hotel, and office) | 29,000 | €46,700 |
| Hotel managers | 49,500 | €79,600 |
| Restaurant managers | 61,800 | €99,400 |
| Hotel receptionists | 31,000 | €49,900 |
READ MORE: What's the tipping culture in Denmark?
Healthcare
As of the first quarter of 2022, just under 198,000 people in Denmark were working in healthcare, accounting for seven percent of the entire labour force. Nurses are in particular demand after a wave of resignations following strikes in summer of 2021.
| Medical doctors | 63,600 kroner/month | €102,300 per year |
| Specialists | 87,800 | €141,200 |
| Nurses | 42,200 | €67,900 |
| Midwives | 41,000 | €65,900 |
| Dentists | 61,200 | €98,400 |
| Pharmacists | 65,500 | €105,400 |
| Psychologists | 48,300 | €77,700 |
READ MORE: Denmark must do more to avoid shortage of nurses: health authority
Education
Denmark offers public education for toddlers all the way though to graduate students, and has the bills to back it up. In 2020, Denmark invested more than 6 percent of its total GDP in education, according to Eurostat.
| University and higher education teachers | 49,600 kroner/month | €79,800 per year |
| Vocational education teacher | 43,700 | €70,300 |
| Secondary education teachers | 50,300 | €80,900 |
| Primary school and early childhood | 41,000 | €66,000 |
| Language teachers | 47,500 | €76,400 |
Creative Industries
International hits like Borgen and the Chestnut Man have made Danish actors household names. But screenwriters, producers and other industry creatives have been pushing for fairer rights-sharing and compensation agreements with streaming giants like Netflix — with mixed results.
| Photographers | 39,000 kroner/month | €62,700 / year |
| Authors, journalists and linguists | 49,000 | €78,800 |
| Graphic and multimedia designers | 40,400 | €65,000 |
| Public relations | 48,400 | €77,900 |
| Advertising and marketing | 49,000 | €78,800 |
| Film, stage, and related directors and producers | 43,900 | €70,600 |
READ MORE: How streaming is pushing Danish film to breaking point
Technology and IT
| Software developers | 57,600 kroner/month | €92,700 / year |
| Web and multimedia developers | 47,700 | €76,700 |
| Applications programmers | 60,000 | €96,500 |
Engineering
Just like any other country, engineers in Denmark take home a tidy sum, with mining engineers leading the pack.
| Mechanical Engineers | 59,000 kroner/month | €94,900 / year |
| Chemical Engineers | 65,000 | €104,600 |
| Mining engineers, metallurgists and related professionals | 82,600 | €132,900 |
| Electronics engineers | 61,200 | €98,400 |
READ MORE: How can you get a work permit in Denmark if you are not an EU national
Miscellaneous
To round out our list, we've chosen some roles you might encounter in your everyday life, or in a Richard Scarry illustration. You can explore the full data sheet provided by Statistics Denmark here.
| Lawyers | 65,600 | €105,500 / year |
| Air traffic controllers | 72,000 | €115,800 |
| Airplane pilots | 81,600 | €131,300 |
| Veterinarians | 53,000 | €85,300 |
| Police officers | 42,700 | €68,700 |
| Building and related trades workers (excluding electricians) | 38,200 | €61,500 |
| Painters | 34,200 | €55,000 |
| Car, taxi and van drivers | 30,100 | €48,400 |
| Garbage and recycling collectors | 39,000 | €62,700 |
| Bus and tram drivers | 32,500 | €52,279 |
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