The Danish housing market is ethnically and socially segregated with a concentration of ethnic minorities and the socially weak in the social housing sector. The ethnic segregation between different parts of the housing market has increased in the period 1998-2002 at the same time as the percentage of ethnic minorities in Denmark has risen which has led to a massive growth of these groups in the social housings. However, the percentage of unemployed (on early retirement pension, cash assistance or unemployment benefits) in the social housing has not increased substantially as a whole. In addition there is a relatively high ethnic as well as social segregation internally in the social housing sector which means that immigrants and unemployed person are unevenly distributed between housing departments and housing areas.

The examination shows that there is a large difference in the degree of segregation between the municipalities. Some municipalities have a relatively even distribution while others have a very uneven distribution. Meanwhile, as a positive result the examination shows that the internal segregation of ethnic minorities in social housings has been reduced since 1998. Ethnic minorities choose to reside in areas with a more moderate degree immigrants.

The social segregation remains more or less the same. There is a tendency that certain ethnic groups concentrate in particular areas. This specially goes for Somalis and immigrants from Arab speaking countries.

The number of unemployed persons has increased in housing areas with more immigrants. The examination shows to opposing tendencies: A wider distribution of immigrants as a whole and a concentration of certain ethnic groups.

Danish Building Research Institute
Denmark
Hans Skifter Andersen, tel. 0045 45865533

18/02/2008

18/02/2008

Hans Skifter Andersen

research

Urban Policy

Social inclusion & integration