Immigrant Majority Rise, Denmark Hits 6M, African Student Scholarships: LWID S3E21

 What does Denmark’s future look like in a more globalized world? This week on Last Week in Denmark, co-hosts Kalpita and Golda—both with deep personal and professional ties to Denmark—explore three big demographic shifts with long-term impact: a new projection that internationals and their descendants could become the majority by 2096, Denmark officially reaching a population of 6 million, and a government-funded scholarship program opening doors for African students. These aren’t just numbers—they’re signals of how Denmark is evolving, and what that means for identity, opportunity, and inclusion. 

Topics: 

(01:58) Internationals will become the majority in Denmark by 2096.

(08:38) The population is now six million in Denmark.

(12:46) Denmark opens doors to African students.

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Chapters

• 2:42 Internationals will become the majority in Denmark by 2096.
• 9:22 Denmark opens doors to African students
• 14:08 The population is now six million in Denmark

Transcript

Golda: 

hello, everyone. Welcome to episode 21 of the last week in Denmark podcast with Kalpita and Golda. Every week we bring you the top stories and updates from the last week in Denmark, all in English with personal Reflections and an International Perspective. This week we have three really interesting topics. One, international will become the majority in Denmark by 2096. Two, Denmark's population has now reached 6 million. And three, Denmark opened doors for African Students. So, Calpita, how are you? How was your week?

Kalpita:

A bit distressful, to be honest. Plane crashes, starting old wars anew. But on the positive side, I live in Denmark, so I have a lot to be grateful for. The sun is shining. That's another positive. So it's been a mixed bag, but I'm staying positive. what about you?

Golda: 

Yeah, I completely understand what you mean. It's been some really devastating news this week, and also just a really tough week. Very, very, very busy in my personal life. And then with everything that's happening externally, I completely crashed Friday evening, so. I'm at the same time grateful that there is sunshine even here in the UK.

Kalpita:

Well, exactly. I mean, I'm sorry to hear you crashed, though. I mean, that must be really, really hard. It's good you're taking a slow weekend.

Golda: 

Yeah, very, very, very, very slow weekend. Absolutely don't want to do anything. But this podcast, of course, I think we can. Dive right into topic number one, which is internationals will become the majority in Denmark by 2096. I think both of us kind of can understand what it's like being international. Now we have lived in Denmark quite a long time. You have. Can you please remind me how long you've been in Denmark?

Kalpita:

I've been here for about nine years. Yeah.

Golda: 

I always wonder at what point do you stop considering yourself an international then? But a recent projection suggested that due to low birth rates and rising immigration, a majority of residents in Denmark could soon be immigrants by their descendants. So what are your thoughts around this?

Kalpita:

I mean, just the fact that you're still an international, even if you're a descendant, is a bit sad. My first thought was, well, I wouldn't be alive by that time, for sure. But then also it is based, or there's an assumption that things continue going the way they are going right now. That means that we have more internationals coming in than internationals leaving, which is a great thing, I think. But I do not believe that Denmark is going to be the only country to have more internationals than locals. That'll probably happen around the world. I mean, we have been doing that for so many years now, centuries, actually, we've been migrating in big numbers as well. So I suppose that's just bound to happen and it's the course of nature. What's your thought on this?

Golda: 

I think, as you said, it signals a long-term demographic shift where diverse global populations will become foundational in Danish society. I think from a Danish perspective, there is heavy on learning the language, Danish culture. So personally, I don't think that will disappear, but I do think that cultures evolve. And I think this kind of underscores the need to integrate immigrants and into structures, institutional structures. cultures. I would see it more as like a global trend, as you mentioned, that globally everywhere will be much more diverse than it is now. People are traveling. We are changing visa laws. Some people are opening up borders. There's also lots of war. So there's displaced people, millions of displaced people already. So it's only, I think it's really just signals it's time for us to really prepare rather than becoming polarized and just seeing how we can move forward in the most positive way, being open-minded, but yet also being respectful. That was my thought initially.

Kalpita:

Yeah, absolutely. It's so important to keep our minds open and be respectful. especially in this tumultuous environment. The other thing I also thought about is that most of this migration could be a result of climate change more than anything else, which is also something we need to consider because it's not that the Earth is getting younger and younger. We are using all resources, whether it's green energy or not, and we are exploiting our resources as well. and most immigration these days is because of climate change already. But I also find it very hopeful from a perspective that, you know, right now most internationals are struggling, but this is a hopeful picture of, you know, you are going to have enough and more opportunity and a sense of normalcy where you make Denmark your home, for example, and grow enough to to actually be the majority, which is strange to even say it, but that looks positive future for people struggling right now. So there's hope, you guys.

Golda: 

Yeah, there's definitely hope. And as someone who migrated into Denmark because of war and now, I would say, consider Denmark my base or my home, I definitely think that we have moved. I like the conversations that are being had now in Denmark in terms of the contributions of immigrants and the fact that immigrants help to also build. And the reason why I'm saying this is because there's this perspective of how this could potentially be a bad thing, like, oh, maybe our people are being wiped away. I'm thinking the perspective from ethnic or indigenous Scandinavians may have that feeling of, oh, no, we're being wiped away or we don't have enough, like our birth rates are low. But I also think the positive things is that, yeah, you have a new workforce. Immigrants usually on average have more children. And like you said, if someone is looking to settle their life in a new place, they would want to make it home or call it home and not necessarily form parallel communities, but have more of a mix where we can celebrate all communities. Immediately I think of Toronto. That's what I think of when I read this. I think of this thing of you come and there's just a mixture of cultures and you can feel at home. And being Danish or what it means to be Danish kind of evolves past skin color, past ethnicity, but rather towards a strong national identity. That's at least where I am now.

Kalpita:

Yeah, absolutely. I completely agree with you. It's also another thing to consider that Danes are doing a good job of mixing their own, for the lack of better word, breed. They're not just mixing cultures, but they're also marrying outside of the, of the ethnic diaspora of being Danish or Scandinavian. And that's, that's encouraged. It's also encouraged to have more than one child. There's a lot of government subsidy. and all of that going around for that too. And that's not because they want to keep ethnic Denmark, but it's more about having citizens who will turn the economy and keep the older generation supported. And I think that's a problem across the world. Even the most populated countries right now are doing things to make sure that their population is not controlled, but actually thriving. And that's China, India, to every country in Europe as well. So Birth rate is becoming a concerning issue, even if we see immigration to be the future.

Golda: 

Yeah, exactly. And that reads into our next topic, which is that Denmark's population has reached 6 million. As of May 1st, 2025, Denmark's population officially reached 6 million. A first in its history. Growth is mainly driven by net immigration as birth rates decline, which is something we have just been speaking of. So what are you thinking? 6 million? I'm sorry, but I thought we were 7 million. I've been out here in the international global world saying that we are 7 million in Denmark.

Kalpita:

No, we just became 6. and I think that's great. I think we have the potential to become more. We need more if that's internationals or locals, that doesn't matter. Population is good. Having kids is good. I think people should have more kids. If I could, I would as well, especially if we are in the right age. There has been conversation in the press as well of how the government can support families and women to have have more children in terms of health and in terms of a good life, economy and work and everything. And there was, I was watching the news the other day while having my lunch and I saw some politician also went on stage at Focolare where she spoke and proposed, not proposed, but she spoke and probably will propose in the parliament session that families should be supported. with more holiday time when your kid is sick, for example, and be, if not better, at par with other Scandinavian countries, especially Sweden and Norway. Right now, families do not have as much leverage when the baby is or kids are sick and they can't take as many sick days, which is in the way, and also improving economy of the family unit because we need more babies. babies are cute, they're nice.

Golda: 

Yeah, babies are cute. They are very, very cute, but they can also be a lot of work sometimes. But yeah, this shocked me a little bit. I honestly always thought we were more, but we are really a very small country, and that's why there's just so much potential in terms of Denmark and in terms of some of the problems that we have in terms of like an elderly population that is growing and who's gonna take care of them and welfare system, who's gonna sustain it. So I think we're headed in the right direction, at least.

Kalpita:

Oh, yeah. I think that's a good way of looking at it other than me saying have more kids.

Golda: 

You know, there was a commercial some years ago where they were, I don't know if it was SAS or Norwegian that was saying, if you have a kid on vacation, you can get some type of prize. Book a ticket, go have babies.

Kalpita:

Oh, really? I know there was a Marmundo ad that said, do it for your mom. Oh, really? Yeah, yeah, yeah. There was a Marmundo ad many, many years ago where they had this.

Golda: They set the scene of having a vacation, and it was based on this data that people in Denmark have have intimate relations in the time of the vacations because they're away from home, less stress and la la la. And with the message that do it for your mom. Your mom needs, I mean, she's old and she needs time with grandkids. So do it for your mom. Take a holiday, make a baby.

Kalpita:

Wow, I didn't see that one. That's a funny one. It's so funny because we're such a liberal country in my perspective, but then the way that comes off, it can be a bit of like a conservative message, like, come on, mommy wants her grandkids.

Golda:

Yeah, that's also, I like the openness, but I also like the boldness with it. It's one thing to openly talk about it, but it's another to sort of encourage openly saying, hey, you know, take a vacation. We all know what to do on a vacation sort of thing.

Kalpita:  

Yeah, exactly. And I like how all these three topics are around immigration because then we get into the fact that Denmark opens doors for African students. Denmark has announced a new scholarship program allocating 430 million kroner over the eight years. to attract roughly 230 African students annually, covering both education and living expenses. Scholarships are part of a broader bilateral strategy. The Africa strategy that was launched last year, 2024 to 2025, which is aiming to enhance Europe's global influence and foster ties with African nations. So these students will benefit from existing EU programs like Erasmus and stronger academic partnerships with Danish and African universities. What are your thoughts around this?

Golda: 

I mean, my immediate thought is it sounds really good, especially if they're supporting students with housing as well as scholarships, if I understand it correctly. and that is, yeah, that is almost like being at power with Esu.

Kalpita: 

You get how's, I mean, you, you get supported while you take your education. But then there's also such a dearth of talent in Denmark. And Denmark is looking for talent all across the world. They've done that with Asia or they are doing that with Asia, with the nursing projects putting out and also people coming in from Nepal for doing all kinds of jobs. especially hard labor. And it makes sense that now they're looking at Africa in parallel to the democratic relations that they are strengthening with the continent as well. But I did see your post on LinkedIn, Golda, and you had some thoughts also because it was spoken about in Falmouth as well.

Golda: 

Yes, it was. So, I don't know if many people know that Denmark launched their Africa strategy. I felt like the press, the press around this was very within the sector and not necessarily like an everyday, you know, layman person. No, mainstream information.

Kalpita:

Yeah.

Golda: 

Yeah, mainstream. So I was really happy that they brought it up for Focal Melt. I'm a bit bumped that I missed out on Falconer Mould. I wish I knew earlier. In terms of this knowledge and innovation program for African students, I really like it. I do have some personal critiques, which is that I feel that as much as we are fostering equitable partnerships for both ways, I also would love to see perhaps more Danish students doing exchange in African universities, only because we can risk this narrative of taking knowledge and talent from the Global South into the Global North, and therefore the Global South then loses human resources for development. So those are some of the thoughts that I initially had when I did this. I think this is brilliant, but I also really think that it shouldn't add to the brain drain that is currently happening. Because when we think about like the larger perspective of why people are trying to flee their homes or trying to go up to the global north or the west, it's usually because the place they're in maybe they feel like it's not efficient enough or they can't get a job. But we have also found that a lot of like African entrepreneurs are creating plenty of jobs actually I learned yesterday that 80% of new jobs on the African continent is actually being created by young entrepreneurs. So I think as Denmark is trying to build on these partnerships and these relationships, it would be really good to support locally led projects as well. And if they also have Danish students come down, study in those universities and contribute to the innovation that is down there, then it seems more balanced in my opinion, where both people are both giving and taking and supporting the development.

Kalpita:

Absolutely.

Golda: 

What do you think about that?

Kalpita:

Yeah, I completely agree. And I also see the value in it as well for both Denmark and for the entire African continent. I think that's something that they're trying to do with the Indian Democratic Relations. They've signed a treaty and now they are also encouraging investments and startups in India and also bringing Indian startups to Denmark as an expansion policy. Correct. Yeah, that's what I heard. And I also reported on it for our LinkedIn team last year when they had their first sort of a conference event type where the ambassador and a couple of businesses came in to talk about...

Golda:

I saw that actually.

Kalpita:

Yeah. But I think that is the way forward for Denmark as well. And I hope that the thing they're doing with the African content also leads to that because it's not just students, of course, they're the future, but there's also so much that's already going on that can be capitalized on both from the African and the Nordic perspective because the African subcontinent especially is becoming so, so important for so many reasons, not just the talent and the potential that's coming out of there, but also environment environmentally and in terms of healthcare and resources that the African continent has, it's incredible. And what the future they have is just mind-blowing because it's one of the untapped regions in the whole world. So I do see your point in people coming into Africa instead of just doing the brain drain way that is going on across countries.

Golda: 

Yeah, exactly. And personally, I think this whole discussion about migration is not just a discussion that stops at, like, nationality or demographics or what's happening. I think, as you spoke about, it's an integral part of Denmark's, like, economic and innovation future. We cannot avoid that we, the in a globalized world. And being such a small country, I think Denmark also understands that this is the way forward. Like you can no longer... We can't stand alone, right? EU is doing it both for the East and the Global South, right? The only thing is that I think that because it's not mainstream, as you said, some people still have the old narrative of how some of these countries or some of these nations are either in the East or the Global South. And so it's also, I believe, and the reason why I made that video on LinkedIn, it's also the responsibility of, I think, the government, the Danish government, of investment funds, of NGOs who work in these countries to help change that narrative so that we move away from this aid donor type, oh, they want us to go to Africa because Africa needs us, but rather that we need each other and that these partnerships could potentially unlock resources beyond what we could have imagined.

Kalpita:

Absolutely.

Golda: 

I'm hoping for continued discussions. I know at Tac BBQ in August, there's going to be Nordic Africa Startup Summit. And there's also going to be a Nordic India Startup Summit. And that was sponsored this year as part of projects under Tech Barbecue, just putting focus on these bilateral relationships. And I'm so excited. I can't wait to engage in the conversations and That's some good news.

Kalpita:

That's some good news to use summertime into something productive. I have to admit though, I am sitting here fuming a little bit. I do not like the narrative that is being portrayed irrespective of whether it's Africa and India that, oh, these countries need us, like you rightly said. Let's not forget, there is a very, very selfish motive for why continents like Africa and the Indian and other Asian countries that are being helped and they are not being helped. They are being exploited for their talent and for their population because we in the north are not good at making babies. Just simply put, we do not have a future where our population is going to be able to support us and we need the economy to run. And that's why we are preparing now to help, according to the Nordic narrative, other countries. so they will help us in return, which is not the entire story.

Golda: 

Yeah, because the truth of it is that a lot of the resources that are building, already building nations historically came from Asia and the Global South. So that's actually true.

Kalpita:

Yeah. But I do think that what they're doing is great, and I hope the countries that are receiving these benefits of this bilateral relations are going to use this as an opportunity to empower themselves and grow themselves within for their own country and their own good instead of being the master to the Western world yet again. I really hope and pray that they take the power in their own hands and become smarter and intelligent and let not history repeat itself.

Golda: 

Myself. Yeah, I have hope. I have hope. I think as long as we're no longer shying away from these bold statements of saying, hey, like, let's do it the right way. Let's not repeat what we have done before, then I definitely think that there are better days to come. But I. I don't think it's going to be easy. But I definitely think that it's possible.

Kalpita:

Oh yeah, absolutely. I completely agree with you and I have faith too. I have faith in my people, your people, that they are learning and they're doing the right thing for their own good and the country's good. If that means that they have to go out for a little and learn from the best or whatever world standard has been set and come back and do better, then I'm here for that as well.

Golda: 

Yeah, I am. Okay, now we are coming to the end of this episode. I really enjoyed it. It was really, really nice, especially as Internationals, to speak into the changing environment in Denmark and how we, as Internationals, can bring different perspective to what is happening and the fact that Denmark is opening arms. to some extent to this perspective and realizing that in a globalized world we should work together. If you want to hear more, please tune in to Last Week in Denmark podcast. We release an episode every week and do not forget to read our newsletter.

Kalpita:

Absolutely, thank you for this riveting conversation, Golda.