Chemical industry snapshot
Updated with 2025 data
A growing and efficient industry
Denmark’s chemical industry consists of a few large chemical producers specializing in catalyzers, pesticides and crude tar. Besides that, the industry consists of manufacturers of paint, glue and detergents, and companies delivering raw materials to the very large pharma industry. Denmark’s chemical industry recorded sales of approximately €8.1 billion in 2024, an increase of approximately 22,3 % since 2021, forming 5.1 % of the national industrial output.
Thanks to its high productivity and efficiency, its workforce is 4.2% of the manufacturing total.
Employment levels In 2024, the total employment in the Danish chemical industry was 13.098 people and 300 companies. The workforce consists of 38% women and 62% men in this sector.
GDP
In total Denmark had a GDP growth of 2,9% in 2025. The growth in GDP increased from index 109 in 2022 to 110 in December 2024 with large differences between the industries, as the Danish Pharma industry is a significant contributor to the Danish GDP.
The Danish BNP without the Pharma Industry has fallen to 105 by the end of 2025 compared with 109 in 2022. In recent quarters, fluctuations in the pharmaceutical industry have also had a major impact on overall growth developments and the gross value added increased by 0.1%, while excluding the pharmaceutical industry the gross value rose by 1.2%. When the pharmaceutical industry’s contribution is excluded, this does not take into account that the pharmaceutical industry also generates activity in other sectors.
How are we doing?
Strengths
- High level of innovation and strong R&D capabilities
- World-class standards for safety and responsible chemicals management
- Strong environmental performance and resource efficiency
- Highly skilled and well-educated workforce
- High-quality and reliable production
- Strong collaboration between industry, academia and public authorities
Challenges
- Negative public perception of the chemical industry and increasing political pressure for national measures beyond EU legislation
- Declining international competitiveness compared with Asia, the US and other major chemical-producing regions
- High energy prices and overall production costs
- Lengthy and complex environmental permitting procedures, creating barriers to investment, production and expansion
- Increasing regulatory complexity and compliance burden
- High labour costs and shortages of specialised technical skills
Our contribution to a competitive Europe
Denmark contributes to Europe’s competitiveness through a highly specialised, innovation-driven industrial base focused on quality, safety and high-value production. The Danish chemical industry plays an important enabling role for other European strengths, including life science, food production, energy, green technologies and advanced manufacturing.
By supplying strategic inputs, materials and solutions to downstream industries, the sector helps strengthen European value chains and supports more resilient supply chains across Europe. A strong industrial base in Europe is also essential for reducing critical dependencies and maintaining production capacity close to key markets. Europe cannot source all raw materials itself, but it can do more to strengthen industrial production, innovation and circular value chains in Europe. Better recycling and reuse of essential materials can help retain more value and improve resilience. Denmark’s contribution is built on a well-educated workforce, strong research and innovation capabilities, and close collaboration between companies and knowledge institutions. High standards for safety, quality and environmental protection also strengthen trust in Danish production and support Europe’s ambition to combine competitiveness with sustainability. At the same time, Europe’s competitiveness is under increasing pressure. High energy costs, growing regulatory complexity and lengthy permitting procedures make it harder to invest, scale up and produce in Europe. To maintain a strong industrial base, Denmark and Europe need framework conditions that better support innovation, production and industrial development.
