Life in Denmark - What you need to know for immigration

There are several things that make a lot of people believe that life in Denmark seems like a paradise. But is it really as good as it seems? From this post you will learn the truth about life in Denmark and if this country suits your needs.

When people hear the word "Denmark" they instantly think about high living standards, high salaries, a great welfare system, free medicine, a low crime rate, and many other things. 

I have been living in Denmark for 7 years, and I can give you an honest opinion about what are the pros and cons of living in the country that got the title “The happiest country in the world”.

There is a list of things that make Denmark a very attractive country for immigration: 

• High salaries 
• Low crime rate
• Free health care
• Free education
• Free kindergartens
• Financial benefits for unemployed
• No racism in Denmark
• Danes are open people and easy to make friends with 
• Work-life balance
• Life in Denmark without knowing the Danish language

I will go through each of them to see if it is as good as it seems. Let's start from the top of the list

High Salaries

Most people think that Denmark is a gold mine because average salaries are higher than in other European countries, even though there is no official minimum hourly wage.  

However, when you hear that number, you have to take into account that you have to pay around 38-50% of taxes, and the prices for eating out, utilities, groceries, and even price for getting a haircut are also higher in Denmark.

For a person that can earn approximately the same amount of money regardless of the country of residence, like, for example, programmers, UI designers, content creators, and so on, I do not think it makes sense to move to Denmark only for the salary. But for a person with a special education such as a bike or car mechanic, hairdresser, nail-lash maker, chef, etc, Denmark can be a good opportunity to make life more comfortable.

Low crime rate

Denmark takes second place after Switzerland in the list of countries with the lowest crime rate. 

People do not lock their doors and some local grocery stores function without a cashier. Customers just take what they need and leave money at the checkout. The only thing you should definitely put a lock on is your bike to prevent some drunk teenager from “borrowing” it to get home faster. 

There are areas in Aarhus and Copenhagen that are considered “high crime districts” but a lot of things people say about them are just rumors.    

Free health care

Another thing that makes Denmark very attractive for immigration is free healthcare. Free healthcare means that treatment in a public hospital or visits to your family doctor does require insurance (except dentist). But what it really means is that you pay for it during all your life via taxes.

You pay for medication yourself or you can have insurance that will cover it. However, if you have some chronic disease and you spend a lot of money on medication the state can help you to cover some of it.

Unfortunately, there is also a downside of having free healthcare because it results in a long waiting time to get a visit to a special doctor. For example, some people can only get time at the doctor in a month or even three months. Which is a lot in my opinion. However,  if a person has a severe health issue then there is a rule that this person should not wait for treatment longer than a month. If there is no free doctor who can help the patient in a public hospital, they can get treatment at a private hospital for free.

I do not have kids myself but I heard stories from mothers raising children in Denmark that doctors do not bother much trying to make kids feel better when they get ill. For instance, if a kid gets a bad stomach or food poisoned then the recommendation is to eat salty sicks and drink Cola. If a kid got cold, then they should eat ice cream. But the best among all the recommendations is just to wait. I mean, I felt very weird about those stories at the beginning but now I start understanding that maybe in some cases it is better to wait and let the body recover itself than give people pills that might do more harm in the long run. 

As a person who lived in Ukraine for 24 years, I can say that Danish health care is on quite a high level. And if someone had a bad experience visiting a family doctor, it is possible to go to another one. 

Free education

Public schools, colleges, and universities are indeed free in Denmark. And not only for Danes but also for European Union (EU) residents. There is also a scholarship of $897 (2022) before tax, which is around $700 after tax. However, EU citizens have to fulfill some requirements to be eligible to receive a scholarship. For example, one of the requirements is to have a part-time job while studying.  

Free public kindergartens

Public kindergartens are not free in Denmark, but part of the fee is covered by the state ("kommune") and another part is paid by parents. If you have more than one kid then parents can pay less for the second kid.

Financial benefits for unemployed

It is true that it is possible to get money from the state, as well as from private organizations if you quit your job or get fired. Financial support from the state is called “kontanthjælp” and from a private organization “dagpenge”. It is not everyone that can get money from the state. It is mostly for Danish citizens and EU citizens with permanent residence in Denmark. To be able to receive “dagpenge” you should be a member of an organization called “A-kasse” for at least a year. To be a member of such an organization you should pay a fee monthly, for me, it is $80. It is not so easy to be unemployed and receive financial support because from the first day you should show that you are actively looking for a job.  

Financial support gives security to the people in Denmark, especially in difficult situations. But you have no idea how many people take advantage of the system and on purpose make sure they do not get a job, so they can be on this financial support as long as possible. I know people who openly say that they moved to Denmark for all the benefits they can get here. In the beginning, it is a scholarship, then when they graduate they apply to receive unemployment support where they are forced to actively look for a job. But because they can apply for positions that do not correspond to their skills or experience they keep getting financial support from the state for X amount of time (usually it is 2 years). Unfortunately, it is not only foreigners who take this path but also a lot of native Danes. There are also some regulations to it because they can not do it forever but still even if a person is getting money from the state (and it is not small money) it will still reflect on the economy. 

There is no racism in Denmark

Let's say it this way, there is definitely no racism to the level it is, for example, in Russia.

A friend of mine and her husband had to run away from Moscow, Russia to Denmark because he is originally from one of the African countries. He had quite a tough life in Russia because of his skin color. 

When my friend got married, her parents said that they do not have a daughter anymore because she chose a husband with different skin color. The guy could not walk alone on the street without being offended or sometimes even bitten by the locals. He also had difficulties finding a job. So, one night when he got home bruised, he and his wife had to run to Denmark to start a new life. 

In Denmark you can still hear jokes that some people would find racist, but because Danes are polite people they will never say anything offensive straight to your face. However, some of them might talk behind your back.

To be fair, Denmark is a very small country with only 5,8 million people and for a long time, it was a closed country, compared to the UK, for example. That can be also the reason why Danes started forming some kind of prejudice about other nations. For instance,  if you are coming from Poland or Romania you come to steal bikes in Denmark, if you are coming from Baltic countries then you work in the cleaning service. In addition, older Danes believe that foreigners are coming to Denmark to steal jobs from them. They can show their attitude by writing some negative comments on some posts and starting discussions on FaceBook. 

The political parties that promote ideas of having fewer foreigners are getting more and more power which results in making requirements to get permanent residence and citizenship harder to fulfill.

Danes are open people and easy to make friends with

Not at all. They are very polite and friendly when it comes to interacting with foreigners in the work environment, but usually, they have their close circle of family and friends that they formed during kindergarten and school. So, no it is not easy to make friends with locals.

Work-life balance 

Danes have a nice working culture, very focused on employee happiness. They indeed try to keep a balance between work and life. It makes life in Denmark more fulfilling and more enjoyable. An employee is not allowed by law to be forced to work overtime. If there are some problems at work and an employee thinks that his rights are violated, then there are organizations called “fagforening” that can protect your rights. However, you have to be a member of one of those. 

Another nice feature of working in a Danish company is that there will usually be almost no people left in the office after 4 PM. Everyone runs home to spend more time with their family and friends. There is also no visible hierarchy at work. It is common to treat your boss or manager as a friend and it is okay to express your opinion without being afraid to be fired.

Life in Denmark without knowing the Danish language

It is not hard to live in Denmark without speaking Danish if your work does not require you to do so and you live in the Copenhagen area. I personally know people that have been living in the capital for 10 years with the same level of Danish since they arrived in the country. In addition, numerous big Danish companies have English as a company language.

You will need to learn Danish if you want to study in a college or university and the program is taught in Danish. If you choose to live in a smaller city then the ability to speak Danish will make your life in Denmark much easier. Another example when Danish is a requirement is for getting permanent residence and citizenship.  

Conclusion

Different people have different experiences living in Denmark. Some people love it, others hate it and move back to their native country. There are also a lot of people who complain about everything but don't move anywhere else. My personal problem living in Denmark is the weather. It is quite windy and rainy. There is no winter like in the rest of the Nordic countries with a lot of snow. Instead, winter looks like a mix of autumn, winter, and spring. The long winter with very little sunlight starts in mid-October and lasts until mid-April. This is something that is not possible to change but there is a workaround. Taking holidays to the warm country during winter makes you much happier.

During these 7 years living in Denmark,  I came up with the conclusion that it is a country for people who are focused on family, and work-life balance and believe that everyone in the society should be equal regardless of what you are doing and how much you earn. So, if you are a young, full of ambition, person focused on building a career and having fun in your free time, then maybe life in Denmark is not for you. It could seem to be a bit boring country to live in. Maybe, it is better for you to move to Dubai, London, or LA