Work-related stress in Denmark is reported less frequently than anywhere else in the European Union, according to the latest survey by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA). Only 19% of Danish workers said they had experienced stress, depression or anxiety caused or made worse by their job in the previous 12 months, compared with 29% across the EU.
The figure comes from the OSH Pulse 2025 survey, based on interviews with more than 28,000 workers across the EU, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. In Denmark, 1,050 workers were interviewed between 31 March and 14 April 2025.
Work-related stress in Denmark is the lowest in the EU
The Danish result stands out particularly when compared with other European countries. While 29% of workers across the EU reported stress, depression or anxiety linked to their work, the proportion fell to 19% in Denmark.
At the other end of the Nordic comparison, Finland recorded 45%, one of the highest figures in the EU.
The survey does not measure clinical diagnoses. Workers were asked whether they had experienced stress, depression or anxiety during the previous 12 months that had been caused or made worse by their work.
Other work-related health problems were also reported less frequently in Denmark than across the EU. According to the Danish EU-OSHA factsheet, 33% of Danish workers reported overall fatigue caused or aggravated by work, against 37% in the EU, while headaches or eyestrain affected 29%, compared with an EU average of 35%.
Danish workers still report considerable pressure
The comparatively low level of reported mental health problems does not mean Danish workplaces are free from pressure.
45% of Danish respondents said they were exposed to severe time pressure or excessive workloads, virtually identical to the EU average of 44%.
Another 29% reported poor communication or cooperation within their organisation, while 17% said they lacked autonomy or influence over their work pace or processes. Both figures were close to the European averages.
Violence or verbal abuse from customers, patients or pupils was reported by 17% of Danish workers, slightly above the 16% EU figure. Harassment or bullying affected 7%, compared with 8% across the EU.
The figures suggest that exposure to psychosocial risks alone does not fully explain the Danish result. Workers in Denmark report several workplace pressures at levels comparable with the rest of Europe, but substantially fewer say those pressures have resulted in stress, depression or anxiety caused or worsened by their work.
Danish workplaces offer more support for mental health
One possible part of the picture is the comparatively widespread availability of measures designed to prevent or manage workplace stress.
EU-OSHA found that 73% of Danish workers had access to counselling or psychological support through their workplace, compared with only 40% across the EU.
Similarly, 60% said workers were consulted about stressful aspects of their jobs, against an EU average of 45%. Measures such as changes in work organisation, clearer priorities or better communication were available to 47% of Danish respondents, compared with 35% across the EU.
Training, information or awareness initiatives on well-being and coping with stress were reported by 56% of Danish workers, broadly in line with the EU figure of 53%.
There was also a substantial difference in attitudes towards discussing mental health at work. 81% of Danish respondents agreed that they would feel comfortable talking to their manager or supervisor about their mental health, compared with 58% across the EU.
Only 32% of Danish workers agreed that disclosing a mental health condition would negatively affect their career. The corresponding EU figure was 48%.
These results do not establish that workplace support directly causes Denmark’s lower rate of work-related mental health problems. They do, however, show a Danish working environment in which support and discussion of mental health appear more widespread than the European average.
Stress remains a problem in Denmark
National Danish figures also show that stress remains a significant workplace issue despite the favourable European comparison.
According to the National Research Centre for the Working Environment (Det Nationale Forskningscenter for Arbejdsmiljø, NFA), 15.6% of Danish employees said in 2025 that they had often or constantly felt stressed during the previous two weeks.
The Danish and EU-OSHA figures measure different things and cannot be directly compared. The Danish survey asks about the experience of stress over a shorter period, while OSH Pulse asks whether stress, depression or anxiety during the previous year was caused or aggravated specifically by work.
The NFA also stresses that stress itself is not a disease or diagnosis. It describes stress as a reaction to pressure or perceived threats that can become harmful when it persists over longer periods.
Denmark already regulates the psychosocial working environment
Denmark also has a specific regulatory framework covering mental and social conditions at work.
Under the Executive Order on Psychosocial Working Environment, employers must ensure that work is planned, organised and carried out in a way that protects employees’ psychological as well as physical health.
The rules cover factors including work organisation, workload, unclear or conflicting demands, social relations and high emotional demands when working with other people.
The Danish Working Environment Authority (Arbejdstilsynet) states that prevention should address the conditions creating psychosocial risks rather than focusing solely on the individual employee. Employers are responsible for assessing risks and introducing measures when working conditions could harm health in either the short or long term.
This approach predates the current debate at EU level over stronger common rules for psychosocial risks in European workplaces.
Denmark’s result does not mean work is stress-free
The 19% figure places Denmark at the bottom of the EU for reported work-related stress, depression and anxiety, but the wider data provide a more complex picture.
Almost half of Danish workers still report severe time pressure or excessive workloads, and national monitoring continues to find a significant group of employees who frequently experience stress.
What distinguishes Denmark in the OSH Pulse survey is therefore not simply the absence of workplace pressure. Danish workers report comparatively broad access to counselling, greater consultation over stressful aspects of work and a higher willingness to discuss mental health with managers.
As the EU considers stronger rules on psychosocial risks, Denmark provides an example of a labour market where these issues are already covered by dedicated working-environment legislation, while the figures also show that preventing stress remains an ongoing challenge.
