A Nation of Digital Frontrunners
Annotation: A journey into 50+ years of innovation that made Denmark the most digital country in the World. Denmark has had clear national goals for digitising the public sector. But one key ingredient to the successful digitisation of Denmark is rarely mentioned in reports and strategies. Danes have a high level of trust in each other and the state. We put humans before technology and build trustworthy solutions that fulfil public needs safeguarding inclusion, democracy, and providing access to public services for everyone.
Denmark ranks among the most digital societies in Europe — not by accident, but thanks to clear principles and patient execution. Digital Hub Denmark CEO Nikolai, at an event in Bratislava, explained how the country combines trust, collaboration, and a citizen-centric focus into a functioning digital state. His experience shows that even small countries can set the tone if they have social backing and a well-thought-out infrastructure. Denmark has only 5,8 million inhabitants — roughly the size of a large metropolitan area — yet it consistently ranks near the top in digital readiness. The key is high social trust: people trust public institutions as well as private partners, which opens the door to responsible data sharing. In practice, this is visible, for example, in taxes, where data from banks and employers are automatically linked, streamlining the entire filing. Such services save time and at the same time reinforce the conviction that digitalization makes sense.Denmark: A Small Nordic Laboratory of Digitalization
