Turks in Denmark


Turks in Denmark or Danish Turks refers to people living in Denmark with ancestral background from Turkey. The group mainly includes ethnic Turks, They currently form the largest immigrant group. According to the official statistics there are 28,892 people of background, connected to Turkey, of whom 20,265 are immigrants and 8,614 are descendants.

History

At the end of the 1950s Denmark required a high labour demand which triggered labour immigration mainly from Turkey and Yugoslavia.

Demographics

As of October 2011, Statistics Denmark recorded 60,299 people with origins from Turkey living in Denmark, with 44,626 in Zealand, 12,569 in Jutland, 3,086 in Funen, and 18 in Bornholm.

Culture

Language

Within the home environment the mother tongue is most dominant and children are expected to speak Turkish. However, Danish is spoken outside the home creating a bilingual identity.

Religion

The majority of Turks regard themselves as Muslims. They worship their religion mainly within their own Turkish community and are subdivided mainly by political or religious differences. The Diyanet supports mosque associations in Denmark and controls the majority of the religious organisations used by the community. The "Danish Turkish Islamic Foundation" is part of the Diyanet and is the largest Muslim organisation in Denmark. The Diyanet’s major competing Islamic networks are the Millî Görüş as well as the Alevi association.

Integration

Naturalisation

Notable people