Comparability

Comparability - geographical

As far as we know, similar register based statistics are not produced elsewhere that have as extensive coverage as the Danish ones – international comparisons may produce skewed results due to different methods of data collection and coverage. Use caution if doing international comparisons and take note of which component are covered by the statistics..

Comparability over time

The statistics have been compiled since 2014 and are comparable over time. However, data on unlisted shares and debt under public collection is only available from 2020, while student loan debt under collection has been included in all years. To ensure continuity in time series, two separate series have been created for net wealth and other sum variables, avoiding data breaks.

In 2023, the statistics transitioned to a temporary data foundation based on the Danish Tax Agency’s new valuation system. As a result, some values were reallocated from "A.1 Primary Residences" to "A.4 Other Residences.

In the income register, wealth data exists dating back to 1980. However, these data sets are incomplete, as they lack information on the value of cars, unlisted shares, and pension assets. Additionally, there was a significant data break in property valuations in 2014 when the methodology shifted from public assessments to market value calculations.

Coherence - cross domain

Data on wealth at the macro level is published in the national accounts. In 2014, a memo was made about the differences between the individual-based statistics and the national accounts. The National accounts include macro data on wealth components that are not available at the level of individuals I.E. non-traded stocks. This includes e.g. unlisted shares and cash. The statistics on personal assets and liabilities are a subset of these statistics. The financial wealth components that are also included in the income statistics are also very internally consistent. The few difference that occur are caused by the often changing points of time during the day that the tax authorities’ systems register their data.

Coherence - internal

Not relevant for these statistics.