Some cool facts about Denmark. Don't take the title so seriously ;).
Denmark has given the highest proportion of its GDP to Ukraine since 2022.
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In How To Be Danish, Patrick Kingsley wrote about Denmark’s 70 folk high schools, which are attended by about one in ten adults, of all ages. Indeed it’s not uncommon for people to die of old age while enrolled, which Danes apparently consider a good death. Perhaps there is some sort of social democracy version of Valhalla where those who died in the middle of adult education go to.
The Folk High School was the brainchild of Danish national hero Nikolai Grundtvig, who coined the concept of folkelighed, or what historian Knud Jespersen called ‘mutually committed community’. Jespersen wrote in A History of Denmark that ‘The key concepts in this were folkelighed, tolerance, openness and liberal-mindedness: the means were enlightenment and committed dialogue.’
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Denmark also had the highest casualty rate among American allies in Afghanistan, losing 43 servicemen in the war to avenge 9/11.
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The secret to Denmark’s success is their high trust and sociability, and Booth also wrote how, ‘according to the Danish think tank Mandag Morgen, they belong to more associations, clubs, unions, societies and groups, and have larger social networks, than any other nationality – 43 per cent of over-sixteens belong to something or other… There are 83,000 local and 3,000 national societies and associations in Denmark – on average every Dane belongs to three. Over a third belong to a sporting club or association. These range from your common-or-garden leisure-orientated groups – the Bittern Spotters Club, say, or the Danish Flødeboller Association – to the still-powerful trade unions, which have a combined membership equivalent to a quarter of the population.’
Yeah, no kidding. When I was young and stupid I thought we were doing well and actually seriously considered joining up to get sent out. Very happy I didn't.
But for the rest, I do think our little country does a lot right on the social front, and the associations/organisations are very important. Giving people more ways to casually socialise outside of their immediate circle I think helps build a more open, tolerant society also.