Denmark is the World’s Ninth-Largest Maritime Nation

January 22, 2026

A new survey shows that Denmark is once again among the world’s 10 largest maritime nations. Danish Shipping has just launched a new strategy aimed at ensuring that Denmark also remains near the top of the list in the future.

Denmark is the world’s ninth-largest maritime nation when measured by operated tonnage.

“It is becoming increasingly clear that Danish shipping is an important position of strength and a strategic Danish and European asset in a turbulent and rapidly changing world, where security of supply, preparedness and resilience are key items on the agenda. Competition on the global market is fierce, so it is crucial that we do everything we can to strengthen Denmark as a flag state in the years ahead and maintain our strong position in the shipping industry,” said Anne H. Steffensen, CEO of Danish Shipping.

It is becoming increasingly clear that Danish shipping is an important position of strength and a strategic Danish and European asset in a turbulent and rapidly changing world

Anne H. Steffensen, CEO of Danish Shipping

The total volume of Danish-operated gross tonnage has increased by 0.5 million GT since January 2025 and now stands at 61 million GT. Over the same period, the number of ships sailing under the Danish flag has risen from 740 to 744.

The top three on the list are Greece, China and Singapore, while Denmark is positioned slightly further down the list, between the United States and Germany.

Danish Shipping has just launched a new strategy for 2026–2030 entitled “Charting the Course”. The strategy focuses on strengthening Denmark and the Danish flag as a home base for Danish shipping companies. Maintaining Denmark’s position in a volatile world requires, among other things, competitive framework conditions and world-class maritime competences.

Photo: The Danish Maritime Fund

Facts:

The figures in the article are taken from the S&P Maritime Portal, January 2026.

Operated tonnage: Tonnage is a maritime technical term for units of weight and volume used as the basis for calculating a vessel’s cargo capacity. “Operated tonnage” refers to the total cargo capacity of ships operated from Denmark (or controlled from shipping company offices in Denmark).

Ships under the Danish flag: Ships under the Danish flag fly the Dannebrog at the stern and are registered either in the Danish Ordinary Ship Register (DAS) or the Danish International Ship Register (DIS).

See more statistics on Danish and international shipping in Danish Shipping’s Knowledge Bank.