Looking at the past ten years, a common feature is that the three municipalities in the region are at the lower end of DI's ranking. There have been a few bright spots, but the bottom placements have been recurring and the trend quite clear. Vordingborg has plummeted from number 55 to number 86 in three years. Guldborgsund has fallen from 35 to 58 in just one year. And even though Lolland has improved slightly, the municipality is still number 61, solidly placed in the bottom third.
The ranking is based on both statistical data and responses from businesses across the country. This year, more than 7,500 businesses participated, and they assessed their municipality on areas such as dialogue with the business community, building case processing, access to labour, and infrastructure. The results are combined with official key figures to provide as broad a picture as possible. Each municipality is assessed based on four main categories, which are equally weighted: business friendliness and dialogue, infrastructure and energy, education and labour, and municipal administration. A total of 91 municipalities are included in the survey - the seven smallest are excluded because not enough responses could be collected to provide a representative result.
Guldborgsund loses ground
Last year, Guldborgsund experienced one of its best placements in recent times. This year, the municipality falls back 23 places. The weakest category is education and labour, where Guldborgsund ranks 83 out of 91.
The municipality has improved broadband coverage and sees an increasing proportion of young people choosing vocational education. However, when looking at the overall education level and access to qualified labour, it remains a significant challenge for businesses.
Lolland moves forward
Lolland moves up three places to land at number 61. It is particularly the building permit processing that boosts the ranking. In one year, the processing time has almost halved, and business satisfaction has increased significantly. At the same time, the municipality has improved efforts to attract international employees and ranks in the top ten nationwide in this area.
Samlet placering i DI’s måling
| Kommune |
2024 |
2025 |
Udvikling |
| Guldborgsund |
35 |
58 |
▼ -23 pladser |
| Lolland |
64 |
61 |
▲ +3 pladser |
| Vordingborg |
81 |
86 |
▼ -5 pladser |
Kilde: DI, Lokal Erhvervsvenlighed 2025
- It is pleasing that Lolland Municipality is once again moving in the right direction. The results show that businesses particularly recognise the efforts in the labour market area and in municipal administration. It is a clear signal that dialogue works and that concrete steps have been taken to support businesses, says Johnny Hansen, chairman of DI Lolland-Falster.
He adds that there are still challenges with the education level and sufficient labour, but that the cooperation between the municipality and businesses provides a better starting point than before.
Vordingborg plummets
Vordingborg has lost over 30 places in three years and is now number 86. The municipality is thus among the six lowest ranked in the country. Businesses experience that dialogue and planning are lacking, and that case processing does not function optimally.
- It is concerning that we see a significant decline over a short period. Vordingborg has all the prerequisites to create better conditions for business - but it requires that we accelerate cooperation on the areas that businesses perceive as the biggest barriers, says Klaus Rønholt, chairman of DI Sydsjælland.
He also points out that Vordingborg has strengthened digital infrastructure and is experiencing an increase in the proportion of young people choosing vocational education.
Common challenges
Looking across the three municipalities, it is clear that labour and education are the weakest links. Guldborgsund and Lolland have among the country's lowest proportions of adults with education beyond primary school, while Vordingborg struggles with high commuting and low employment rates.
Municipal planning and administration is another problem area. While Lolland has improved building case processing, Vordingborg's process is perceived as slower, and Guldborgsund remains among the lower ranked, although satisfaction has increased slightly.
