Energy balance of Denmark
The most important figure in the energy balance of Denmark is the total consumption ofDenmark can partly be self-sufficient with domestically produced energy. The total production of all electric energy producing facilities is 34 bn kWh. That is 96 percent of the country's own usage. The rest of the needed energy is imported from foreign countries. Along with pure consumption, the production, imports and exports play an important role.
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Energy production and consumption
| Electricity | total/year | Denmark per capita | USA per capita |
|---|---|---|---|
| Own consumption | 35.25 bn kWh | 5,898.12 kWh | 12,010.79 kWh |
| Production | 33.95 bn kWh | 5,679.28 kWh | 12,516.80 kWh |
| Import | 19.83 bn kWh | 3,317.89 kWh | 114.30 kWh |
| Export | 16.70 bn kWh | 2,793.71 kWh | 58.42 kWh |
| Crude Oil | Barrel/year | Denmark per capita | USA per capita |
| Own consumption | 55.12 m bbl | 9.221 bbl | 21.793 bbl |
| Production | 23.00 m bbl | 3.847 bbl | 22.486 bbl |
In 2021 there were still 441.00 m barrels of recoverable but not yet used crude oil reserves in the currently known deposits of Denmark. Worldwide, there are still proved oil reserves totaling around 1.7 tn billion barrels. Denmark therefore has a share of 0.026% and ranks 49th out of 100 countries with crude oil reserves. Here you will also find a list of natural gas and oil resources per country.
| Natural Gas | Cubic meters/year | Denmark per capita | USA per capita |
|---|---|---|---|
| Own consumption | 2.31 bn m³ | 386.31 m³ | 2,706.38 m³ |
| Production | 2.02 bn m³ | 338.13 m³ | 3,151.91 m³ |
| Import | 8.61 bn m³ | 1,440.86 m³ | 243.79 m³ |
| Export | 8.39 bn m³ | 1,403.38 m³ | 633.56 m³ |
CO₂ emissions
The following figures apply to the year 2024 and refer to CO₂ equivalents, i.e. they also include other greenhouse gases such as methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O) and fluorinated gases. Their quantities were converted into CO₂ equivalents in order to make them comparable with the effects of pure CO₂. The data comes from the European Commission's "Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research" (EDGAR).| CO₂ emissions in 2024/year | Denmark per capita | USA per capita | |
|---|---|---|---|
| total | 38.26 m t | 6.40 t | 17.38 t |
| › thereof electricity and heat generation | 4.43 m t | 0.74 t | 4.40 t |
| › thereof transportation | 11.39 m t | 1.90 t | 5.01 t |
| › thereof fuel exploitation | 2.05 m t | 0.34 t | 2.12 t |
| › thereof non-industrial combustion | 4.12 m t | 0.69 t | 1.68 t |
| › thereof agriculture | 10.01 m t | 1.68 t | 1.18 t |
| › thereof manufacturing industry | 3.29 m t | 0.55 t | 1.32 t |
| › thereof industrial processes (steel, cement, etc.) | 1.97 m t | 0.33 t | 1.21 t |
| › thereof waste management | 1.01 m t | 0.17 t | 0.47 t |
Development of CO₂ emissions from 1970 to 2024 in megatons
See also: CO₂ equivalents by countryProduction capacities per energy source
Denmark is one of the countries with the highest share of wind energy in the world.The given production capacities for electric energy for the year 2023 have a theoretical value, which can only be obtained under ideal conditions. They are measuring the generatable amount of energy, that would be reached under permanent and full use of all capacities of all power plants.
In practice this isn't possible, because e.g. solar collectors are less efficient under clouds. Also wind- and water-power plants are not always operating under full load. All these values are only useful in relation to other energy sources or countries.
The percentage share stated in the table therefore refers to the share of total production - not to the share of theoretical total capacities, as such a comparison would not be meaningful.
| Energy source | total in Denmark/year | Percentage in Denmark | Percentage USA | per capita in Denmark | per capita USA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fossil fuels | 3.84 bn kWh | 11.3 % | 58.9 % | 641.76 kWh | 7,372.39 kWh |
| Solar energy | 3.36 bn kWh | 9.9 % | 5.6 % | 562.25 kWh | 700.94 kWh |
| Wind power | 19.55 bn kWh | 57.6 % | 9.9 % | 3,271.26 kWh | 1,239.16 kWh |
| Water power | 33.95 m kWh | 0.1 % | 5.6 % | 5.68 kWh | 700.94 kWh |
| Biomass | 7.20 bn kWh | 21.2 % | 1.3 % | 1,204.01 kWh | 162.72 kWh |
Usage of renewable energies
Renewable energy includes wind, solar, biomass and geothermal energy sources. This means all energy sources that renew themselves within a short time or are permanently available. Energy from hydropower is only partly a renewable energy. This is certainly the case with river or tidal power plants. Otherwise, numerous dams or reservoirs also produce mixed forms, e.g. by pumping water into their reservoirs at night and recovering energy from them during the day when there is an increased demand for electricity. Since it is not possible to clearly determine the amount of generated energy, all energy from hydropower is displayed separately.If all production capacities in Denmark for solar, wind, tidal, geothermal and biomass are added together, this results in a share of 88.7% of the total electricity volume for renewable energies excluding wind power plants. The World Bank, on the other hand, shows a value of 39.5% for the year 2021.
Data sources
- Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR), Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2025, doi:10.2760/4002897, JRC138862
- Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (2025)
- United States, Office of Public Affairs (2024)
- OPEC, Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (2022)
- IRENA, International Renewable Energy Agency (2022)
