The Shadow Economy in Western Europe
Written by: Søren Pedersen
The authors discuss both more theoretical attempts to measure the size of the undeclared sector of the economy and calculations based on interviews with large representative samples of the population. The paper also contains a discussion of the continuing methodological developments in the area. There is a description of the EU’s thinking on how the undeclared sector can be integrated into national accounts, and updated figures for Denmark are provided for 1996-97.
Latest releases on the same welfare topic

Research report
Welfare Program Spillovers
May 2025

Knowledge overview
Crime among refugees receiving initial welfare benefits had a spillover effect on their neighbors
May 2025

Research report
The Impact of Extending Parental Leave on Mother’s Pension Savings
May 2025

Knowledge overview
Mothers lose tens of thousands of kroner in just one month of maternity leave.
May 2025