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3 Population,
Welfare, and Quality of Life
3.1 The Population
3.1.1 Population Structure
3.1.2. Population Density
3.1.3 Family Pattern
3.1.4 Participation
Rates in the Labour Market
3.1.5 Foreign Citizens
3.2 Indicators of Wealth
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The population in the Region counts 2.9 million inhabitants of which 1.8 million live in the Danish part of the region, according to Copenhagen Capacity and COWI-Consult as of February 1999. Actual figures, from mid March 1999 including the whole of territorial Zealand - as a new political issue – shows that 2/3 of the population are situated in Denmark, and 1/3 in Sweden. Figure 3.1 - Population development in the Oresund Region1987-2005.
Source: Statistics Denmark and AF-Oresund. |
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The composition of the population in the Oresund Region by age is illustrated in the figure below.
Figure 3.2 - Population structure in the Oresund Region by age, January 1998. |
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The average population density in the Oresund Region is 209 inhabitants per square kilometre. The population concentration is highest in Copenhagen City in the Danish part of the region and in Malmo in the Swedish part of the region, as shown in figure 3.3. Figure 3.3 - Population density in the Oresund region 1998.
Note: The data from Malmo city are from 1997. Source: Statistics Denmark, Statistics Sweden and City of Malmo. |
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The family life pattern in the Region can be characterised as traditional Western European family types, where husband and wife live together with their children. On the other hand, the average age when settling down with a family is quite high, especially for women. This fact is to some extent due to the high level of education for Danish women, which tends to lower the average number of household members to 1.8, Figure 3.4 describes the pattern of family life in figures. Figure 3.4 - The family life pattern in the Oresund Region in the 90’s.
Notes: 1) January 1st 1998. 2) The Swedish figures are based on the latest survey conducted in 1990. 3) Covers only South West Scania, including approx. 50% of the population in Scania. Source: Statistics Denmark and Municipality of Malmo. |
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The number of foreign citizens in the Region amounts to more than 6% of the population and, the relative share of foreign citizens has increased rapidly during the latest 5-year period, mainly in Greater Copenhagen, see figure 3.6. Figure 3.6 - Fractions of the population from third countries 1992-1997.
Note: Citizens from third countries means citizens others than Swedish or Danish. Source: Statistics Denmark and Statistics Sweden. The majority of the foreigners are immigrants from countries outside the EU and OECD, mainly from former Yugoslavia, Iran, Iraq, and Pakistan, see figure 3.7. Figure 3.7 - Foreign citizens by Citizenship, 1997.
EU-countries are exclusive Denmark and Sweden. Source: Statistics Denmark and Statistics Sweden. |
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In order to give some indications of the level of welfare, indicators illustrating living conditions in terms of health, purchasing power, physical living conditions, political stability, technological standards, etc. are given below. Wherever possible, the indicators illustrate the level in the region, otherwise for Denmark and Sweden as a whole. For some indicators a comparison with international levels has been made. Life expectancy The average life expectancy for the Swedish population is 81.5 years for women and 76.2 years for men. In Denmark it is 77.8 years for women and 72.6 for men. Compared to these figures, the EU average is 80.0 years for women and 73.4 years for men. Purchasing power The purchasing power parity corrected GDP per capita in the region was 21.753 USD in 1996. This is a little less than the average for Denmark, and significantly more than the average for Sweden. There are considerable differences in the GDP within the region, as seen in figure 3.8. Figure 3.8 - PPP-corrected GDP per capita, 1996
Source: OECD, Statistics Denmark, Statistics Sweden, and own calculations. Income distribution The net income distribution of taxes and subsidies is very equal in international comparisons according to figure 3.9. Figure 3.9 - Distributions of net household income of taxes and subsidies 1994.
Note: Measured by the Gini-coefficient. Source: Ministry of Business, "Erhvervsredegørelse 1998". The indictor for income distribution shows that Denmark and Sweden have a relatively equal income distribution compared to other European countries and to the United States. The figures reflect, for instance, that Denmark and Sweden has a large middle class compared to the United Kingdom and United States, where the lower classes form a larger part of the population.
Dwelling standard On average there are 3.3 rooms in the dwellings of the region. The occupants according to figure 3.10 own 45% of all dwellings in the region. Figure 3.10 - The Housing Stock in the Øresund Region in the 90’ties.
Note: Data for Copenhagen area: 1997, Scania: 1990. Source: Statistics Denmark and Statistics Sweden. Democracy The high turnout at elections and referendums in the constituencies of the region are shown in figure 3.11. The turnout reveals the inbred democratic spirit of the region’s population. Figure 3.11 - Participation rates at the last 3 referendums/elections 1994-98.
Note: This data only cover the City of Malmo. Source: Statistics Denmark and statistics Sweden. Usage of technological remedies Denmark and Sweden are some of the most advanced IT nations, which is illustrated in figure 3.12. Figure 3.12 - Usage of High Technological remedies 1996-97.
Source: The Global Competitiveness Report, 1998. Also according to the IDC/World Times Information Imperative Index, Sweden and Denmark rank as some of the most advanced IT countries in the world, only surpassed by the United States and Finland.
Figure 3.13 - The ten most advanced IT countries, 1997 (index: USA=100).
Source: Invest in Sweden (IDC/World Times Information Imperative Index). The usage of computers at home is also high in the region. In Greater Copenhagen 60% of the families have a home computer. Almost 40% have a modem and 36% of the families have access to the Internet. Quality of life According to Professor Richard Estes from the University of Pennsylvania, Denmark and Sweden rank among the countries with highest quality of life in the world, see figure 3.14. Figure 3.14 - Quality of life – Top Ten Index 1995 (WISP95).
Source: Politiken November 8th, 1998 (University of Pennsylvania). The social living conditions in 160 countries have been evaluated on the basis of an index of social progress (WISP95), including 45 social, political, and economic indicators. Professor Estes’s latest study, which was presented on a conference in Jakarta in September 1998, ranks Denmark as number one and Sweden as number four on the top ten list. State of the environment The air quality in the Nordic countries is generally higher than in other parts of Europe. Especially for Denmark it can be explained by relatively low emissions. There is no heavy industry in the Oresund Region, and the population density is low compared to Central Europe. The climate is also an important factor because frequently passage of depressions implies a general windy weather, and thus quickly removing local air pollution. In addition, the level landscape do not allow for accumulation of polluted air in surrounded valleys like in Mexico City, Los Angeles, and Oslo for instance. |
