Denmark’s ranking reaffirms the findings of other organizations, such as the World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders, which consistently places Denmark among the countries with the highest levels of press freedom. The vast majority of respondents reported never experiencing physical attacks, arrests, surveillance, or legal actions. The country also scores highly on digital safety. Its high level of democratic freedom, strong public service tradition, robust unions, and high levels of public trust in the media likely contribute to this top ranking compared to other countries worldwide. However, it’s important to note that these scores reflect the general experiences of the journalism population as a whole. Beneath this overall positive ranking, there are specific issues that should not be overlooked when discussing the safety of Danish journalists. Over the past decade, Danish women have spoken out publicly about sexual harassment within the media industry. The country also witnessed the tragic murder of journalist Kim Wall in 2017, and more recently, a former minister and an intelligence official have been charged with leaking state secrets to journalists, putting the relation between journalists and sources under pressure. Financial uncertainty, mental wellbeing, and exposure to hate speech remain areas of concern regarding the safety of journalists in Denmark. While Denmark is considered one of the safest countries in the world in terms of financial security for journalists, this does not mean financial concerns are absent. More than 30% of respondents expressed worries about job security and financial stability. Similarly, nearly 30% voiced concerns about their mental wellbeing. This is accompanied by a significant share of journalists who have experienced intimidation, public discrediting, and hate speech.
This radar chart displays how the country performs across all four safety dimensions, revealing areas of strength and concern.
This comparison highlights differences in safety experiences between male and female journalists, revealing potential gender-based disparities.
The physical dimension carries 50% weight in the safety index. Read the methodology in full.
This figure represents the total number of journalist killings in Denmark between 2016 and 2024.
Data sourced from UNESCO Observatory of Killed Journalists.
Note: This indicator carries 35% of the weight within the physical dimension of the Safety Index, making it the most significant factor in this category.
The psychological dimension carries 25% weight in the safety index. Read the methodology in full.
The digital dimension carries 12.5% weight in the safety index. Read the methodology in full.
The financial dimension carries 12.5% weight in the safety index. Read the methodology in full.
This section contains demographic information about survey respondents from Denmark.
Demographic information about survey respondents will be available in a future update.