Christmas in Scandinavia - statistics & facts

So much of Christmas related imagery could be set in Scandinavia. Inhabitants of this region are no strangers to winters with firs and pines, an abundance of warm light, cozy homes covered in snow, delicious food, and long evenings spent indoors during Christmas. Scandinavian countries take their Christmas seriously, and share many traditions with one another, such as the celebration of Advent, a season which starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. Calendars that mark the countdown to Christmas (Advent calendars, or "julekalender" in Danish) are also popular in countries like Denmark. Christmas Eve church services are attended by thousands of people, and in Finland the declaration of Christmas Peace, held since the 1320s in the city of Turku, has been broadcast by the Finnish Broadcasting Company since 1935.

Christmas food and decorations

Food is also an important part of Christmastime celebrations, and a special feast known as “julbord” in Swedish, “julebord” in Norwegian, and “julefrokost” in Danish is set up for the occasion. Among other dishes, Swedes particularly like what is called “Janssons frestelse” (or "Jansson’s temptation"), a traditional casserole made of potatoes, onions, pickled sprats, bread crumbs, and cream. The soft drink known as “Julmust”, available in the country only during Christmastime, is the preferred drink accompaniment to Christmas food for an astonishing 78 percent of Swedes. Most Danes bake for themselves for the holiday season, and when it comes to the meal, duck and roasted pork are the most popular kinds of meat eaten for Christmas. A Christmas tree is also a very important part of the holiday season. In Denmark, there were around 2,565 Christmas tree farms operating in 2022, and a large part of the Christmas trees exported by the country find their new homes in Germany.

Holiday shopping and retail

In 2021, only 15 percent of Swedes stated that they intended to spend more money on Christmas gifts than in the previous year, and the average Christmas budget for Swedish men reached almost 4,000 Swedish kroner. Norwegians were expected to spend over 12,000 Norwegian kroner on Christmas that same year, over 40 percent of which would go to food and drink. Turnover for the general retail trade in Norway (that is, excluding food and drink and e-commerce) was expected to reach 28 billion Norwegian kroner as of 2022.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Dominique Petruzzi, Jul 11, 2023

Key insights

Most important thing that makes up real Christmas for Swedes
Friends and family
Number of Christmas Eve services in Norway
2,211
Most popular Advent calendar among Danes
Calendar with lottery tickets
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Christmas retail sales in Sweden from 2000 to 2022 (in billion SEK)

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Estimated average holiday season spend per person in Norway in December 2021 (in Norwegian kroner)

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Norway: average holiday spending per person in December 2021

Share of Danes who bake for Christmas in Denmark in 2021

Eating Behavior

Denmark: share of Danes who bake for Christmas 2021

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