- Policy
- ODA allocation overview
- ODA to and through the multilateral system
- Bilateral ODA
- Geographic, sectoral and thematic focus of ODA
- Private sector instruments
- Mobilised private finance
- Total Official Support for Sustainable Development
- Institutional set-up
- Quality and oversight
- Other profiles
- Additional resources
Development Co‑operation Profiles: Denmark
Table of contents
Denmark’s development co-operation focuses on tackling poverty and inequality, with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change as overarching frameworks. Most of Denmark’s official development assistance (ODA) is provided as bilateral co-operation, primarily to fragile partner countries in Africa. Denmark’s total ODA increased in 2024 to USD 3.2 billion (preliminary data), representing 0.71% of gross national income (GNI).
This profile presents verified data on development assistance allocation. See the Development Co-operation Profiles.
Denmark’s 2021 strategy, The World We Share, underlines democratic values and human rights as the foundations of its development co-operation, aiming at preventing and fighting poverty and inequality, conflict and displacement, irregular migration and fragility, as well as leading the fight against climate change and restoring balance to the planet. The government’s Priorities for Development Cooperation 2025 – Expenditure Framework for Danish Development Cooperation 2025-2028 focuses on increased support to Ukraine; a greater emphasis on Africa; the green transition; humanitarian and nexus approaches; and irregular migration. In August 2024, Denmark launched a strategy for strengthened engagement with African countries. The new strategy focuses on equal partnerships and greater attention to the wishes and priorities of the African countries. Denmark is in the process of developing a new strategy for their international development in 2025.
Denmark’s co-operation with multilateral organisations is guided by dedicated strategies for each organisation developed to ensure that funding to the organisation is aligned with Denmark’s development co-operation priorities. Denmark’s Global Climate Action Strategy aims to increase global climate ambition, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and strengthen the focus on climate adaptation and sustainable development. At the international level, Denmark advocates for gender equality and women’s rights, as well as the defence of democracy and countering torture.
The 2024 mid-term review found that Denmark had made progress against almost all of the eight recommendations from the 2021 OECD-DAC Peer Review. It recognised Denmark’s strong leadership in maintaining a stable and high share of ODA/GNI and its evolving engagement in the African continent as signalled also by the Africa Strategy. The mid-term review also highlighted the important role that Denmark plays in fragile and politically constrained contexts, and in the green transition, with proven efforts to enable local ownership. Discover insights from Denmark’s 2021 Peer Review and 2024 mid-term review, and learn from Denmark’s practices in Development Co-operation Tools Insights Practices (TIPs).
Denmark provided USD 3.2 billion (preliminary data) of ODA in 2024 (USD 3.1 billion in constant terms), representing 0.71% of GNI.1 This was an increase of 2.2% in real terms in volume and a decrease in the share of GNI from 2023. Denmark has provided at least 0.7% of its GNI as ODA for more than 40 years. This is a signal of leadership to other Development Assistance Committee (DAC) members and partner countries alike. Denmark is in line with its domestic, international and EU commitments to achieve a 0.7% ODA/GNI ratio by 2030. Total ODA on a grant-equivalent basis has the same value as net ODA under the cash-flow methodology used in the past, as Denmark provides only grants.
In 2024, Denmark ranks fourth among DAC member countries when ODA is taken as a share of GNI. In 2023, Denmark ranked third for the share of gross bilateral ODA channelled (earmarked) for civil society organisations (CSOs). It also stands out for the share of amounts mobilised from the private sector targeting climate change mitigation and/or adaptation (85%).
Denmark has committed to several international targets and DAC standards and recommendations. Learn more about DAC Recommendations.
Note: This table only includes information about ODA data-related DAC Recommendations. ODA: official development assistance; GNI: gross national income; DAC: Development Assistance Committee.
Denmark provided a higher share of its ODA bilaterally in 2023. Gross bilateral ODA was 70.3% of total ODA disbursements. Thirty-five per cent of gross bilateral ODA was channelled through multilateral organisations (earmarked contributions).
In 2023, Denmark provided USD 1.6 billion of gross ODA to the multilateral system, an increase of 17.4% in real terms from 2022. Of this, USD 2.1 million was core multilateral ODA (29.7% of total ODA), while USD 737.6 million was non-core contributions earmarked for a specific country, region, theme or purpose. Project-type funding earmarked for a specific theme and/or country accounted for 16.2% of Denmark’s non-core contributions and 83.8% was programmatic funding (to pooled funds and specific-purpose programmes and funds).
The United Nations (UN) system received 46.4% of Denmark’s contributions to multilateral organisations, of which USD 491.2 million (64.6%) represented earmarked contributions. Out of a total volume of USD 760.3 million to the UN system, the top three UN recipients of Denmark’s support (core and earmarked contributions) were the United Nations Development Programme (USD 119 million), the UN Refugee Agency (USD 95.6 million) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (USD 90.7 million).
See the section on Geographic, sectoral and thematic focus of ODA for the breakdown of bilateral allocations, including ODA earmarked through the multilateral development system.
Learn more by exploring the dashboard on DAC members’ use of the multilateral system.
In 2023, Denmark’s bilateral spending increased compared to the previous year. It provided USD 2.1 billion of gross bilateral ODA (which includes earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations). This represented an increase of 4.5% in real terms from 2022.
In 2023, country programmable aid amounted to USD 650.5 million, or 30.6% of Denmark’s gross bilateral ODA, compared to the DAC country average of 43.1%. In-donor refugee costs were USD 276.5 million in 2023, representing 13% of Denmark’s gross bilateral ODA. This was a decrease of 21.5% in real terms over 2022.
In 2023, Denmark channelled its bilateral ODA mainly through multilateral organisations, the public sector and non-governmental organisations. Technical co-operation made up 3.2% of gross ODA in 2023.
In 2023, CSOs received USD 571.7 million of gross bilateral ODA, of which 6% was directed to developing country-based CSOs. Overall, 1% of gross bilateral ODA was allocated to CSOs as core contributions and 25.5% was channelled through CSOs to implement projects initiated by the donor (earmarked funding). From 2022 to 2023, the combined core and earmarked contributions for CSOs decreased as a share of bilateral ODA, from 27.1% to 26.9%. Learn more about the DAC Recommendation on Enabling Civil Society in Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Aid.
In 2023, Denmark’s bilateral ODA primarily focused on countries in Africa. USD 553.6 million was allocated to countries in Africa and USD 258.8 million to ODA-eligible countries in Europe (of which 66.1% was for Ukraine), accounting respectively for 26% and 12.2% of gross bilateral ODA. USD 192.8 million was allocated to the Middle East. Countries in Africa were also the main regional recipients of Denmark’s earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations. These allocations are in line with Denmark’s geographical focus and policy priorities.
In 2023, 29.4% of gross bilateral ODA went to Denmark’s top 10 recipients. Its top 10 recipients, with the exception of Ukraine being the top recipient, are in Africa and the Middle East. The share of gross bilateral ODA not allocated by country was 57.2%, of which 22.8% consisted of expenditures for processing and hosting refugees in Denmark.
In 2023, Denmark allocated 0.16% of its GNI to the least developed countries (LDCs). Denmark allocated the highest share of gross bilateral ODA (21.8%) to LDCs in 2023, noting that 57.2% was unallocated by income group. Additionally, Denmark allocated 15.3% of gross bilateral ODA to land-locked developing countries in 2023, equal to USD 324.5 million.
Looking at the distribution of Denmark’s ODA in relation to “ODA per person in extreme poverty”,2 the amount was USD 0.9 per person in LDCs, USD 1.1 in lower middle-income countries (LMICs) and USD 2.3 in upper middle-income countries.
In 2024, Denmark provided USD 238.2 million of net bilateral ODA to Ukraine to respond to the impacts of Russia’s full-scale invasion, a 37.5% increase from 2023 in real terms. USD 102.7 million of the amount was humanitarian assistance in 2024, a 10% increase from 2023.
Support to contexts with high and extreme fragility was USD 657.8 million in 2023, representing 30.9% of Denmark’s gross bilateral ODA. Thirty-seven per cent of this ODA was provided in the form of humanitarian assistance, a decrease from 41.8% in 2022, while 20.7% was allocated to peace, a decrease from 22% in 2022. Five per cent of gross bilateral ODA went to conflict prevention, a subset of contributions to peace, representing an increase from 3.3% in 2022. Learn more about the OECD States of Fragility platform.
In 2023, the largest focus of Denmark’s bilateral ODA was other macro sectors. Investments in this area accounted for 30.6% of bilateral ODA commitments (USD 597.1 million), with a strong focus on support to refugees in donor countries (USD 276.5 million), administrative costs of donors (USD 157 million), and unallocated / unspecified (USD 116.1 million). ODA for social infrastructure and services totalled USD 525.1 million, with a focus on government and civil society (USD 307.3 million). Humanitarian assistance amounted to USD 417.5 million (21.4% of bilateral ODA). Earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations also focused on other macro sectors and social sectors in 2023.
In the period 2022-23, Denmark committed 45.2% of screened bilateral allocable ODA to gender equality and women’s empowerment, compared to 40.4% in 2020-213 and a 2022-23 DAC average of 45.8%. This is equal to USD 576.5 million of screened bilateral allocable ODA in support of gender equality on average per year. In addition:
The share of screened bilateral allocable ODA committed to gender equality and women’s empowerment as a principal objective was 7.8% in 2022-23, compared with the DAC average of 4%.
Denmark includes gender equality objectives in 24.7% of ODA for humanitarian aid, above the 2022-23 DAC average of 19.1%.
Denmark screens the majority of bilateral allocable ODA activities against the DAC gender equality policy marker (87.9% in 2022-23).
Denmark committed USD 0.1 million of ODA to end violence against women and girls and USD 3 million to support women’s rights organisations and movements, and government institutions on average in 2022-23.
Learn more about the DAC Recommendation on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of All Women and Girls in Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Assistance and the DAC Recommendation on Ending Sexual Exploitation in Development Co-operation, and by exploring the dashboard on DAC members’ development finance for gender equality.
In 2022-23, Denmark committed 34.1% of its total bilateral allocable ODA (USD 494.4 million) in support of the environment and the Rio Conventions, up from 24.2% in 2020-21. The DAC average was 39% in 2022-23. In addition:
Fourteen per cent of screened bilateral allocable ODA focused on environmental issues as a principal objective, compared with the DAC average of 9.6%.
Twenty-nine per cent of total bilateral allocable ODA (USD 423.1 million) focused on climate change overall, up from 21.3% in 2020-21 (the DAC average was 34.8%). Denmark had a greater focus on adaptation (28.5%) than on mitigation (22.2%) in 2022-23.
Five per cent of screened bilateral allocable ODA (USD 59.7 million) focused on biodiversity overall, up from 2.2% in 2020-21 (the DAC average was 7.6%).
Learn more about the DAC Declaration on Aligning Development Co-operation with the Goals of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
Note: Individual Rio Markers should not be added up as this can result in double counting.
The OECD’s tracking of ODA for the sustainable ocean economy shows that Denmark committed USD 3.6 million in support of the conservation and sustainable use of the ocean in 2023, USD 2.4 million less than in 2022. The 2023 value is equivalent to 0.2% of Denmark’s bilateral allocable ODA.
In 2023, Denmark:
Allocated 5.5% of its bilateral ODA (USD 117 million) to core poverty-reducing sectors as defined by SDG 1.a.1. This indicator captures grants to basic social services (basic health and education, water supply and sanitation, multisector aid for basic social services) and development food aid. In addition, 1.1% of bilateral ODA (USD 23.7 million) went to social protection support.
Committed USD 122.1 million (7.8% of its bilateral allocable ODA) to address the immediate or underlying determinants of malnutrition in developing countries across a variety of sectors, such as education, emergency response and general environment protection.
Committed USD 96.5 million (6.1% of its bilateral allocable ODA) to development co-operation projects and programmes that promote the inclusion and empowerment of persons with disabilities.
Committed USD 12.3 million (0.8% of its bilateral allocable ODA) to the mobilisation of domestic resources in developing countries. Regarding the payment of local tax and customs duties for ODA-funded goods and services, Denmark rarely seeks exemptions and it makes this information available on the OECD Digital Transparency Hub on the Tax Treatment of ODA.
Committed USD 177.2 million (11.3% of its bilateral allocable ODA) to promote aid for trade and improve developing countries’ trade performance and integration into the world economy in 2023.
To build markets in developing countries and incentivise greater mobilisation of private resources for development, many providers, including Denmark, have established development finance institutions (DFIs) and similar vehicles that extend private sector instruments (PSI). The Investment Fund For Developing Countries (IFU) was assessed as an ODA-eligible PSI vehicle. PSI represented 2% of Denmark’s ODA in 2023 while the DAC average stood at 1.3%.
In 2023, Denmark’s IFU extended USD 90.8 million in the form of PSI to developing countries.4 Of this, loans accounted for 11.5% whereas equities accounted for 79%. Other PSI included mezzanine finance instruments.
In 2023, USD 7.2 million (8%) of Denmark’s PSI were allocated to the LDCs and other LICs, with a majority (71.8%) allocated to middle-income countries and LMICs in particular (60.2%). USD 18.4 million was unallocated by income. Denmark’s PSI primarily supported projects in the banking and financial services (45.1%) and water supply and sanitation (15.9%).
Denmark uses leveraging mechanisms to mobilise private finance for sustainable development. In 2023, Denmark’s development finance institution – Investment Fund for Developing Countries (IFU) – mobilised USD 70.9 million from the private sector through direct investment in companies and SPVs, syndicated loans and shares in CIVs. This constituted a 75.4% decrease compared to 2022.
Private finance mobilised by Denmark in 2022-23 mainly targeted middle-income countries, representing 78% of its total mobilised. Only 5.1% of total mobilised private finance during this period benefited the LDCs and other low-income countries (LICs), noting that 16.9% was unallocated by income.
Mobilised private finance by Denmark in 2022-23 related mainly to activities in industry, mining and construction (39.3%) as its top sector. Furthermore, over this period, 84.9% of Denmark’s total mobilised private finance was for climate action.
Total Official Support for Sustainable Development (TOSSD) is an international statistical standard that monitors and increases transparency of all official and officially supported resources for financing the SDGs in developing countries, as well as for addressing global challenges. In 2023, activities reported by Denmark as TOSSD totalled USD 3.1 billion, up from USD 3 billion 2022. Denmark’s TOSSD activities mostly targeted SDG 1 (no poverty), SDG 10 (reduced inequalities) and SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions). Activity-level data on TOSSD by recipient are available at: https://tossd.online.
Policy, co-ordination and implementation of Denmark’s development co-operation remain the remit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), which manages almost all of the ODA budget. A number of joint funds have been set up in areas such as stabilisation (with the Ministries of Justice and Defense) and climate (with the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities). As of August 2024, Denmark does not have a Minister for Development Co-operation. The brand Danida describes Denmark’s development co-operation with other countries, but there is no distinct institution called Danida. Denmark’s development finance institution’s Investment Fund for Developing Countries manages several funds for the MFA, including one with a focus on fragile situations.
Denmark has roughly 750 staff working on development co-operation, 57% of whom are working at headquarters and 43% of whom are working in partner countries. The IFU’s average number of full-time employees in 2024 was 116.
The main mechanism for consulting stakeholders on grants above DKK 43 million is the Council for Development Policy, which engages in strategic and thematic discussions and publishes its deliberations and recommendations on line. CSOs active in development co-operation, humanitarian assistance and global citizenship education co-ordinate through the umbrella body Globalt Fokus.
Internal systems and processes help ensure the effective delivery of Denmark’s development co-operation. Select features are shown in the table below.
Access the full list of providers at this link: Development Co-operation Profiles.
2021 OECD-DAC Peer Review of Denmark: https://doi.org/10.1787/6e9b77e5-en
2024 OECD-DAC mid-term review of Denmark: https://one.oecd.org/document/DCD/DAC/AR(2024)3/5/en/pdf
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark (2024), The Government’s Priorities for Danish Development Cooperation 2025: Expenditure Framework for Danish Development Cooperation, 2025-2028, https://um.dk/en/-/media/websites/umen/danida/strategies-and-priorities/priorities-of-the-danish-government/the-governments-priorities-for-danish-development-cooperation-2025.ashx
OpenAid, Denmark’s ODA data and results portal: https://openaid.um.dk
Danish Government (2020), A Green and Sustainable World: The Danish Government’s Long-term Strategy for Global Climate Action, https://um.dk/en/-/media/websites/umen/foreign-policy/global-climate-action-strategy/a_green_and_sustainable_world.ashx
Website to track Denmark’s progress against the Sustainable Development Goals: https://www.verdensmaal.org
CSO umbrella organisation Globalt Fokus: https://www.globaltfokus.dk
Denmark has been a member of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) since 1963.
The methodological notes provide further details on the definitions and statistical methodologies applied, including the grant-equivalent methodology, core and earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations, country programmable aid, channels of delivery, bilateral ODA unspecified/unallocated, bilateral allocable ODA, the gender equality policy marker, and the environment markers.
This work is published under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Member countries of the OECD.
This document, as well as any data and map included herein, are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area.
The statistical data for Israel are supplied by and under the responsibility of the relevant Israeli authorities. The use of such data by the OECD is without prejudice to the status of the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem and Israeli settlements in the West Bank under the terms of international law.
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← 1. DAC members adopted the grant-equivalent methodology starting from their reporting of 2018 data as a more accurate way to count the donor effort in development loans. See the methodological notes for further details.
← 2. Aid per person in extreme poverty is calculated by dividing net ODA (bilateral and imputed multilateral) by the population in extreme poverty in each country. Group averages are calculated based on a weighted average of aid per person in extreme poverty and the number of people in extreme poverty for each country in the group. For more information on this indicator, please see here.
← 3. The use of the recommended minimum criteria for the marker by some members in recent years can result in lower levels of ODA reported as being focused on gender equality.
← 4. In 2023, the DAC agreed on revised reporting methods for measuring PSI in ODA based on ODA grant equivalents. Members may, however, take up to two years to transition to the new methods, with their PSI continuing to be accounted for on a net ODA basis during the transition period.