Denmark

Copenhagen | October 2014 

DKK 283; DKK 30 (USD 5.13, EUR 3.98) for food.

This is based on per capita per-day basis of Denmark’s relative poverty line, and low-income household food expenditure.

Denmark published its first poverty report, entitled the Family Income Distribution, Poverty and Incentives 2014, in May 2014, under the Ministry of for Economic Affairs and the Interior. The national definition focuses on persistent relative poverty, with income and asset criteria. The main conditions are: having been under the poverty line for three consecutive years, having a disposable income below 50% of the national median income, and having less than the household asset threshold (100,000 DKK for 2010). This poverty line definition was put forth in Jun 2013 by a special expert committee on poverty set up by the government in 2012, with secretariat support from 5 ministries (chaired by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Integration).

Based on the new definition, about 42,000 Denmark people live in poverty in 2010. The government plans to annually report on poverty and related issues such as income distribution and government incentives, so as to identify economically vulnerable groups of people. Statistics on household income and consumption are tracked by StatBank Denmark.

Note: Latest available standards and exchange rates were taken as of October 2014, when the photography was undertaken.

Understanding More

A Danish Poverty Threshold

Family income distribution, poverty and incentives 2014

First official poverty line established