Denmark is one of the safest and most comfortable places in the world to live and work. It regularly appears in the top five of the Global Happiness index, and has excellent public services. The good news for expats is that it is one of the few countries in the EU that is still looking to employ foreign workers, and the system is set up to help you. Residents of Nordic, EU and EEA countries do not need to apply for a work permit. For citizens of all other countries, a work permit is required, even for voluntary work.   more ...

The cost of healthcare in Denmark will depend on a number of factors, namely whether you as an expat:

• are signed up with the national insurance scheme
• have private health insurance
• have a combination of national and top-up private insurance to cover procedures (such as dental and optical care) which do not fall under the national scheme
• do not have insurance at all and are intending to pay out-of-pocket for any treatment that you receive.

We will look at each of these options in turn, and undertake some comparisons.


State health insurance costs in Denmark

If you are an expat who is working in Denmark, then you will be paying contributions into the national health insurance system via deductions from your salary. Both you and your employer must pay national insurance; the scheme is mandatory. The amount that will be deducted from your taxes will depend on your income and depends also on the territory that you are resident in. On average, employer contributions are around €2,000 per full-time employee, and your own contribution will usually be about 8% of your gross salary.   more ...

With some beautiful scenery and great food, Denmark is not a difficult place in which to keep fit and well. Sports are important to the Danes, and they are commonly supposed to be some of the happiest people on the planet – perhaps due to their lifestyle.   more ...

Mental health issues are challenging wherever you are, and Denmark is no exception: 1 in 12 Danes (around 13% of the Danish population) are estimated by the health authority Sundhedsstyrelsen to be suffering from depression. Danes also report high stress levels.   more ...

Denmark has a two-tier healthcare insurance system, comprised of both public and private health cover. State medical care in Denmark is free at the point of delivery, and of a high quality.   more ...

Giving birth as an expat in Denmark is likely to be a positive experience. Maternity care within the public sector is of a high standard, and private healthcare is also excellent.   more ...

Prescriptions In Denmark are not covered under public health insurance, so you will have to pay for your prescriptions if you are over the age of 18. However, the national scheme does reimburse partial costs of some medications, according to a sliding scale. You should have little difficulty in being able to access your medication.   more ...

As an expat, the quality of healthcare that you can expect in Denmark will depend on whether you are accessing the public or the private healthcare sector.

Overall, the quality of healthcare in the country is deemed to be of a high standard, operating on a universal healthcare model and funded by taxes and national insurance contributions. The system is granted a high percentage of GDP for an OECD country - over 10% - and Denmark is currently investing heavily into new hospital infrastructure.   more ...

Denmark has a high standard of medical care generally, including dental and optical treatment, and you should have no difficulty accessing the care that you need.   more ...

In order to keep your health insurance costs low in Denmark, you have two main options: either signing up with the Danish national health insurance scheme, or by shopping around for the best private health insurance plan for your treatment needs.   more ...