What does wage growth mean for you?
Wage Growth vs. Market Wage growth is about how your salary develops compared to the general Danish wage index. Even if your salary increases, you can fall behind if the market rises faster.
The Danish wage index (SBLON1) from Statistics Denmark measures average wage development across all industries. It gives you a benchmark to compare against.
Are you falling behind?
Example
You earned 35,000 DKK/month in 2016. The market has risen 27% since then. If you now earn less than 44,500 DKK, you're below the market average — even though your salary has increased.
Historical wage growth in Denmark
See how the Danish wage index has developed. Particularly 2022-2024 saw strong growth with increases above 4-5% annually.
Wage growth calculator
Enter your salary from a previous year and see what the market pays today.
Wage growth calculator
Market value 2024
49.200 kr/md
Wage growth since 2016
+23.0%
If you earned 40.000 DKK/month in 2016, you should earn 49.200 DKK/month in 2024 to keep up with the market.
Compare with your current salary
In the salary history tool you can see the wage index overlay directly on your salary curve.
See it in Salary History
In our salary history tool you can activate the wage index overlay to see if your salary development follows the market. The amber curve shows what your salary should be if it followed the wage index.
FAQ
The wage index (SBLON1) from Statistics Denmark measures average wage development across all industries. It is based on 2016 = 100, and an index of 127 means wages have risen 27% on average since 2016.
The average annual salary increase in Denmark is about 3% based on the wage index. In 2022-2024 it was higher (4-5%) due to inflation. When changing jobs, 10-20% is typical.
Prepare a salary negotiation with data: Show the wage index development vs. your own. Alternatively, a job change may be necessary — it typically gives the biggest salary increase.
No. The wage index measures wage growth, inflation measures price growth. Ideally wages rise more than inflation — that gives real wage gains. See our guide on real wages for more.
IT, finance and healthcare typically have higher wage growth than the average. The public sector is often slightly below. The wage index is an average across all industries.