1. Denmark has been named the world’s happiest country on numerous occasions, and remains to be in the very top of the UN World Happiness Report. As of 2020, Denmark is the 2nd happiest country in the world, after Finland.
2. Denmark’s national flag is the oldest in the world. First acknowledged in the year 1219, the Danish flag “Dannebrog” remains the oldest state flag in the world still in use by an independent nation.
3. Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, is known all across the world for its cycling culture. More than 50% of Copenhageners cycle to and from work every day. Infact, Copenhageners cycle an average of 3km every day and this adds up to people cycling 35 times around the world every day in Copenhagen!
4. Denmark is home to the world’s oldest amusement park, Bakken, as well as the second oldest one, Tivoli Gardens. Both of these are brilliant suggestions if you’re looking for a fun-filled day – and that’s a fact!
5. No matter where you are in Denmark, you will never be more than 52 kilometres away from the ocean.
6. While it was the Netherlands which legalized same-sex marriage in 2001, Denmark became the first country to legalize same-sex unions long back in 1989.
7. Many people visiting Scandinavia are shocked by the high prices of articles. Denmark’s sales tax of 25% is one of the highest in the world. It also has one of the highest rates of income tax in the world with Danes paying as much as 45% of their income to the government. Surprisingly though, 90% of Danes are happy with the level of taxation as per various surveys.
8. One area that might be considered odd to most people is the naming of children. The government keeps a list of 7,000 names that are pre-approved for babies’ names and the parents can make their choice only from the list.
9. Now this is the most unique fact about the local tradition. In Denmark, if you are unmarried at 25, you’ll get cinnamon thrown all over you at your birthday. No, we aren’t joking. It is a tradition for an unmarried 25-year-old to get tied to a chair or lamppost and have one of their friends throw copious amounts of cinnamon all over them.
10. And finally, according to The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), which is an index published annually by Berlin-based Transparency International, Denmark is the least corrupt country in the world.
Well that is all for the facts about Denmark. Do let us know if you have explored something new about it while maybe on your trip to Denmark, in the comments section!
