Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects designed the hedquarters for one of Denmark’s leading mortgage banks, Nykredit. The ten-storey glass structure amply endows the office spaces with natural light from the harbour, thus linking the floors together. The CEO’s office is situated on the 9th floor and contains a clothing cabinet with a hidden escape hatch, built on his request.
Passengers in the Copenhagen Metro were surprised by a Philharmonic Orchestra’s Peer Gynt performance.
Denmark: Most competetive nation in the world. Image via Wikipedia
The Danish people are truly lucky; they have both the best environment for business and the happiest people in the world. What do the majority in the Top 10 ranking have in common? They are all open to trade, heavily influenced by Anglo-Saxon culture and have the U.S and U.K as major trading partners. This is what Forbes wrote about Denmark:
“Grabbing the top spot for a third straight year is Denmark. Its $309 billion economy struggled in 2009, like the rest of the world, with GDP down 4.7%, but when it comes to advantageous business climates the Danes reign supreme. Denmark scored in the top five among all countries in four of the 11 categories we considered as part of the ranking, including property rights, technology, corruption and personal freedom.”
The study also examined investor protection and stock market performance in the 128 economies. The study was based on research and published reports from the Central Intelligence Agency, Freedom House, Heritage Foundation, Property Rights Alliance, Transparency International, World Bank and World Economic Forum to compile the rankings. Forbes explains the U.S poor performance like this:
“Blame the high tax burden and a poor showing on trade and monetary freedom compared with many other developed nations. The 35% federal corporate tax rate is the highest of any OECD country according to the Tax Foundation. Meanwhile the government’s significant intervention in the economy during the economic downturn has weakened economic freedom in the U.S. One bright spot for America: It still ranks first when it comes to innovation.”
You find the complete ranking and full coverage from Forbes here.
| RANK | NAME | GDP GROWTH (%) | GDP/CAPITA ($) | TRADE BALANCE AS % OF GDP | POPULATION (MIL) | FEDERAL BUDGET BALANCE AS % OF GDP |
| 1 | Denmark | -4.7 | 36,000 | 2.9 | 5.5 | 41.6 |
| 2 | Hong Kong | -2.8 | 42,800 | 8.7 | 7.1 | 37.4 |
| 3 | New Zealand | -1.6 | 27,400 | -2.8 | 4.2 | 22.2 |
| 4 | Canada | -2.5 | 38,200 | -2.7 | 33.5 | 75.4 |
| 5 | Singapore | -1.3 | 52,200 | 14.3 | 4.7 | 113.1 |
| 6 | Ireland | -7.6 | 41,000 | -2.9 | 4.2 | 57.7 |
| 7 | Sweden | -5.1 | 36,600 | 7.3 | 9.1 | 35.8 |
| 8 | Norway | -1.5 | 57,400 | 14.4 | 4.7 | 60.6 |
| 9 | United States | -2.6 | 46,000 | -2.9 | 307.2 | 52.9 |
| 10 | United Kingdom | -4.9 | 34,800 | -1.5 | 61.1 | 54 |
| 11 | Finland | -8.1 | 34,100 | 1.2 | 5.3 | 44 |
| 12 | Australia | 1.3 | 40,000 | -3.0 | 21.3 | 17.6 |
| 13 | Netherlands | -3.9 | 39,500 | 5.4 | 16.7 | 62.2 |
| 14 | Belgium | -2.7 | 36,800 | 0.9 | 10.4 | 97.6 |
| 15 | Switzerland | -1.5 | 41,400 | 7.3 | 7.6 | 40.5 |
| 16 | Israel | 0.2 | 28,400 | 3.7 | 7.2 | 78.4 |
| 17 | Luxembourg | -3.4 | 79,600 | 18.1 | 0.5 | 14.9 |
| 18 | Iceland | -6.5 | 39,600 | -3.4 | 0.3 | 107.6 |
| 19 | Estonia | -14.1 | 18,500 | 4.7 | 1.3 | 7.2 |
| 20 | Germany | -4.9 | 34,100 | 4.0 | 82.3 | 72.1 |
| 21 | France | -2.5 | 32,600 | -2.1 | 64.4 | 77.5 |
| 22 | Cyprus | -1.5 | 21,000 | -8.6 | 1.1 | 56.2 |
| 23 | Chile | -1.7 | 14,600 | 2.6 | 16.6 | 6.1 |
| 24 | Portugal | -2.7 | 21,700 | -10.3 | 10.7 | 76.9 |
| 25 | Taiwan | -1.9 | 32,000 | 11.2 | 23.0 | 32.5 |
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