Denmark’s government is raising red flags over the disproportionately high number of non-Western immigrants receiving disability pensions, signaling a need for urgent action.
A report from the Confederation of Danish Employers revealed startling disparities: while only 6% of Danish citizens received disability pensions in 2023, the rate among non-Western immigrants stood at 12%. In some cases, the figures were even more extreme, with Lebanese and Iraqi nationals claiming at rates of 41% and 32%, respectively.
Employment Minister Ane Halsboe-Jørgensen, of the Social Democrats, described the findings as “so drastic that we can’t ignore them.” She vowed to investigate and implement targeted measures to address the issue without undermining support for Danes who genuinely qualify for disability benefits.
Deputy Prime Minister Troels Lund Poulsen echoed these concerns, criticizing what he perceives as a trend of granting disability pensions on “softer grounds” to certain immigrant groups. Poulsen emphasized the need for consistent standards, saying, “There can’t be one set of rules for immigrants and another for Danes.”
Denmark classifies “Western” countries as EU member states, the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand, among others. By contrast, “non-Western” countries include Iraq, Lebanon, and Somalia, which feature prominently in the government’s data on disability pensions.
The issue has broader implications for Denmark’s welfare system. In addition to the disability pension disparity, a recent report revealed that two-thirds of Muslim individuals over 50 are taking early retirement, further straining public finances. The Danish Finance Ministry estimated that, in 2018, non-Western immigrants and their descendants imposed a net cost of 31 billion kroner (approximately $4.9 billion) on the nation’s economy, whereas Western immigrants contributed a net gain of 7 billion kroner.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s administration has already taken steps to address migration-related concerns, including halting individual residency permit applications for Syrian nationals and calling for Syrians to return home following political changes in their country.
This growing financial burden, coupled with the disability pension figures, has sparked heated debates about immigration and welfare policies in Denmark, a nation known for its generous social safety net. Critics argue that reforms are essential to ensure the system’s sustainability while maintaining fairness across all groups.
