A new ministerial response has revealed that people of Middle Eastern, North African, Pakistani, and Turkish descent are disproportionately represented among citizens receiving early retirement pensions, with the Danish People's Party describing the figures as a "national scandal," according to BT.
The figures reveal a clear disparity
The response of Employment Minister Ane Halsboe-Jørgensen of the Social Democratic Party to a question from Nick Zimmermann of the Danish People's Party showed that 14 percent of people aged 18 to 66 from the Middle East and North Africa received early retirement pensions in 2024.
In contrast, the percentage among people of Danish origin was only 7 percent.
In her response, the minister explained that there are differences in the percentage of beneficiaries of the various benefits when compared to the population in each of the different groups of the country, noting that people of Middle Eastern, North African, Pakistani and Turkish descent are represented at a high percentage, especially among those receiving early retirement pensions.
The minister says the numbers call for action.
Anne Halsbø-Jørgensen said she takes the new figures very seriously and expressed concern about the need for action regarding the high proportion of people from the Middle East, North Africa, Pakistan and Turkey among the beneficiaries of certain benefits, including early retirement pensions.
The minister points out that the government has already taken a number of initiatives aimed at changing this trend, including introducing a work obligation within the cash assistance system, along with the continued tightening of eligibility rules.
Review of some early retirement cases
The minister explained that the government sees the need to take further measures, and therefore intends to intensify the review of some cases related to early retirement.
She said the government is also proposing a bill that would allow for a systematic review of some early retirement cases, with the aim of revitalizing certain residential areas.
The Danish People's Party describes the figures as scandalous.
According to the source, Nick Zimmerman considered the figures to be a "national scandal," saying that it was not just a simple oversight, but rather, as he described it, "a national scandal and a price to be paid for decades of failed immigration policy.".
Zimmerman criticizes the government's actions, arguing that it is not doing enough to address the problem.
Call for a review of cases across Denmark
Nick Zimmerman added that the government will only review certain cases in specific residential areas, but he believes the problem does not stop at municipal boundaries or specific postal codes.
He called for a more consistent review of all relevant cases across the country, adding that those who are able to work should work, and that if someone is granted a disability pension on the wrong basis, it should be cancelled.
He also said that if a person does not hold Danish citizenship and wishes to live on public benefits, he should return to his country, adding that Danes, in his words, should no longer pay for what he described as "this madness".
Zimmerman's remarks come in the context of a political debate about the high percentage of beneficiaries of certain social welfare benefits among population groups of non-Western origin, while the figures in the ministerial response indicate clear differences between groups in the rates of access to these benefits.
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