Denmark: Small Country, Big Innovation Numbers
Denmark: Small Country, Big Innovation Numbers

Insight

Denmark: Small Country, Big Innovation Numbers

Insight

Denmark: Small Country, Big Innovation Numbers

Danish business continues to punch well above their weight when it comes to innovation and the adoption of advanced digital technologies. According to the European Investment Bank’s 2025 Investment Survey, Denmark has the highest share of firms that innovated in 2025, as well as the highest share of firms using advanced digital technologies, compared to the United States as well as the EU member countries. 

When

A Nation of Innovators – by the Numbers

The survey shows that Denmark outperforms both the United States and EU-27 across multiple innovation metrics. Only 44% of Danish firms did not innovate in 2025, compared with 47% in the US and 68% across the EU-27. Danish companies are therefore significantly more likely to introduce new or improved products, services or processes, whether those innovations are new to the firm, new to the country, or brand new to the global market. 

EIB Innovation Survey 2025

Innovation activities 2025 for the US, EU-27 and Denmark  

Innovation activities 2025 for the US, EU-27 and Denmark

This strong performance reflects Denmark’s long-standing position as a highly innovative economy, powered by world-class research institutions, tightly connected with strong industrial ecosystems and collaborative clusters that accelerate the development of cutting-edge technological.

Denmark is also the best-placed country when comparing EU member states individually, as shown in the graph below, with the highest share of firms that innovated in 2025. 

EIB Innovation Survey 2025

Innovation activities by country, 2025, United States and EU member states

Innovation activities by country, 2025, United States and EU member states

The EIB Innovation Survey 2025 also demonstrates that Danish businesses are at the forefront of using advanced digital technologies (which included e.g. robotics, internet of things, 3d printing, big data and others).

With 92% of Danish firms using at least a single or multiple advanced technologies, Denmark ranks number one among the EU-27 and ahead of the United States.

EIB Innovation Survey 2025

Share of firms that use advanced digital technologies, 2025

Share of firms that use advanced digital technologies, 2025
Question asked was: “To what extent, if at all, are each of the following digital technologies used within your business? Please say if you do not use the technology within your business” 

The momentum continues in frontier technologies as well. When specifically asked about investment in generative artificial intelligence, 58 % of the Danish businesses reported that they are already adopting tools such as ChatGPT, Bard or Copilot to improves processes.  This is the second-highest share in Europe, positioning Denmark as a prime hub for AI-driven productivity and innovation. 

EIB Innovation Survey 2025

Share of firms that use generative artificial intelligence, 2025

Share of firms that use generative artificial intelligence, 2025
Question asked was: “I would like to ask about your company's systematic use of generative AI tools to improve processes. These are tools like ChatGPT, Bard, or Copilot that can create new content, like text, images, or codes. Does your company invest in these kinds of tools in any of the following areas?

Why this matters for international investors

For companies looking to innovate, co-create or scale next-generation technologies in Europe, Denmark offers something rare:

  • A highly digital, innovation-driven business environment
  • Early adopters ready to partner, pilot and purchase
  • Strong public-private collaboration and clear regulatory pathways
  • A talent pool fluent in both engineering and experimentation

In short, Denmark is shaping the global innovation agenda. For investors, this translates into smoother market entry, faster time-to-value and access to partners who genuinely understand digital transformation.

 

About the EIB Investment Survey 2025

The EIB Investment Survey 2025 was carried out as telephone interviews with 12.033 firms in the European Union and 801 firms from the United States between April and July 2025, based on a stratified sampling methodology to be representative across all EU Member States and the United States.

For more information, please refer to: EIB Investment Survey 2025: European Union overview

Get in touch

Ready to innovate at Danish speed?

If you are exploring where to place your next innovation hub, R&D activity or digital operations in Europe, Denmark offers the ideal launchpad. Get in touch with our experts to learn how we can help you plug into one of Europe’s most innovative business ecosystems:

Copenhagen

  • Sarina Lohmann

    Title: Special Advisor – Maritime and transport – Analysis & Partnerships

    Area: Copenhagen

    Phone: +4533920423

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