Danish immigration intake at all-time high

Denmark welcomed an all-time record number of new immigrants last year, new figures show.

According to recently released data from Statistics Denmark, nearly 65,000 foreigners made a home for themselves permanently in the country in 2014. The 64,874 immigrants who moved to Denmark last year represented a 15 per cent increase over the 2013 level, which itself had previously been record year in terms of arrivals.

The country’s immigrant intake levels have been buoyed by a significant increase in the number of immigrants from fellow Western countries who are deciding to make Denmark their home. A total of 40,059 of the country’s new immigrants came from Western nations, far outpacing the 24,815 who came from non-Western countries.

Tiny Maerschalk, the head of the Aarhus-based expat network International Community, told TheLocal.dk that she wasn’t surprised to see such a sharp rise in Western immigrants.

“Companies in Denmark need certain skills that they can’t find within the country, so they need an extra inflow from abroad,” she explained. “Studies have shown that immigrants working in Denmark contribute to the economy and bring new experiences and knowledge that help Danish companies become more competitive. And those companies have worked hard to make sure that it is easy for highly-skilled foreigners to come here,” Maerschalk added.

The latest statistics show that the number of Western immigrants now living in Denmark has more than doubled since 2004 and has increased fivefold since 1984.