New report takes the temperature of the Nordic economies

Wednesday, 04 December 2013
Photo: Magnus Fröderberg/norden.org Photo: Magnus Fröderberg/norden.org

Norway and Sweden are currently doing best according to the Nordic Council of Ministers' publication "Economic Outlook in the Nordic Countries 2014". Iceland is on the path to recovery but Denmark and Finland in particular are still feeling the effects of the international recession.

Five years after the financial crisis, the Nordic countries are still struggling to get back into top gear. Some more than others according to Economic Outlook in the Nordic Countries 2014, an annual report commissioned and published by the Nordic Council of Ministers and compiled by a group of experts.

The impact of the crisis on the individual countries varies significantly. In Denmark, Finland and Iceland, GDP is still lower than before the crisis. The downturn in Norway and Sweden was very brief  but even they are now showing signs of a gradual slowdown, Sweden in particular, although growth there is expected to rise again in 2014.

The report also looks at labour-market conditions and public finances. Unemployment rates in the three Scandinavian countries are under control but the Finnish rate is expected to rise to over 8%. The rate in Iceland is expected to fall to 5% next year, a full percentage point down.

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