by Jim Rose in economics

What can we learn from Denmark? – By Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), @HuffingtonPost: http://t.co/J3iZXUmOcU — Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) May 26, 2013

The USA is certainly richer than socialist Denmark in per capita GDP terms on a purchasing power parity basis. It always has been.

Source: The Conference Board. 2015. The Conference Board Total Economy Database™, May 2015, http://www.conference-board.org/data/economydatabase/



If you look at the performance of real GDP per working age person (PPP) detrended by the growth rate of the USA in the 20th century, which is 1.9%, the Danes had a bit of a poor run. In the chart below, a flat line means you are growing at the same rate to the USA; a rising line means growth in real GDP per working age person that is faster than the USA at that time; a fall in line means growth slower than the USA.

Source: Data extracted on 16 Oct 2015 04:18 UTC (GMT) from OECD.Stat and The Conference Board. 2015. The Conference Board Total Economy Database™, May 2015, http://www.conference-board.org/data/economydatabase/



As can be seen from the chart above, Denmark has had long periods of slow growth over at least the past 30 years with a spurt of growth in the 1990s. For nearly the entire period covered by the chart above, Denmark was growing at a slower pace than the USA. Denmark didn’t ride out the global financial crisis well at all. The Swedish and British economies each recovered from an economic malaise when they turn towards lower taxes.

Source: The 5 most expensive countries on the Big Mac Index | Nomad Capitalist.



Indeed Danish per capita GDP has been stuck at about US$45,000 per head for about 15 years now as shown in the chart below.

Source: The Conference Board. 2015. The Conference Board Total Economy Database™, May 2015, http://www.conference-board.org/data/economydatabase/



Denmark trying to scare off would-be migrants with these ads in #Lebanon media: http://t.co/8uQasJJBF6—

Sara Hussein (@sarahussein) September 07, 2015