Survey reveals the biggest Danish entrepreneurial hotspots

New businesses don’t spring up randomly around the country. On the contrary, entrepreneurial activity is increasingly concentrated in specific geographical pockets where access to talent, networks and markets reduces the friction of starting a business. This is according to a new report on newly created CVR numbers in 2025.

The analysis, compiled by SaaS company Alunta, ranks the country’s municipalities by the number of new businesses per 1,000 inhabitants and thus provides a picture of entrepreneurial intensity rather than just absolute volume.

The results show a clear pattern. It’s not necessarily the largest markets alone that create the most new businesses, but the most concentrated ecosystems.

The capital dominates the entrepreneur map

Copenhagen tops the list in 2025 with 17,014 new businesses per 1,000 inhabitants. This is followed by Frederiksberg, Gentofte, Rudersdal and Hørsholm. Overall, nine of the top ten municipalities are located east of the Great Belt and primarily in and around the metropolitan area.

Common to the top municipalities are high population density, short geographical distances and access to specialized labor as well as a mature consulting and networking environment. These factors combine to make it easier to go from idea to business, especially in tech, consulting and other knowledge-based businesses.

The figures don’t say anything about which companies will eventually become the biggest. But they do say something about where it is easiest to get started in practice.

Aarhus as the exception

West of the Great Belt, the picture is markedly different. In 2025, 4,473 new CVR numbers were created in Aarhus, corresponding to 11,979 new companies per 1,000 inhabitants.

Aarhus’ location emphasizes the city’s role as Western Denmark’s central tech and entrepreneurial hub. The combination of university, talent pool, startup environments and established tech companies seems to create a critical mass that other major cities do not yet match to the same degree.

High concentration of networks and knowledge

According to the report, the figures should not be read primarily as a competition between municipalities, but as an indication of how entrepreneurial ecosystems work in practice. The areas that top the list are characterized by the overlap of network, knowledge and market.

These are places where sparring, customers and skills are close by, and where an idea can quickly be turned into a business. At the same time, the analysis raises the question of whether increased use of online collaboration and greater acceptance of remote work can eventually change the geographical dynamics of entrepreneurship in Denmark.