Until 2003, Bornholm was composed of five municipali-ties and Bornholm County. On January 1st 2003, these units voluntarily and independently of the present reform of the municipal structure in Denmark, amalgamated and became one administrative unit, the Bornholm Regional Authority.
View of Gudhjem at Bornholm. Photo: GÖRAN GUSTAFSON, PRESSENS BILD
In the last 25 years, the population figures for Bornholm have declined from 47 605 in 1979 to 43 347 in 2005. According to forecasts, by Statistics Denmark, the population will decrease further to 41 400 by 2020.
Employment declined by almost 6 percent from 1993 to 1998. From 1998 to 2002, it remained at the same level. In 2002 there were 20 340 employed persons, compared to 21 546 in 1993. If Bornholm enjoyed the same level of development as the Danish average, the number employed would be 2 650 higher than it actually is today.
The unemployment rate also declined from 14 percent in 1993 to 10 percent in 2003. That is, on average, 3-4 percentage points higher than the nationwide average.
Compared with Denmark in general, the public sector on Bornholm is more important in terms of employment. In 2004, the municipality employed in total some 4 927 persons, 76 percent of whom were women. Bornholm's public sector is characterised by a relatively high share of older employees.
Bornholm has taken part in a number of EU programmes, primarily through the Social Fund, the Regional Fund, and The European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund.
EU programmes have contributed to a number of physical investments in plant and infrastructure, leading also to new jobs and activities.
The area of Bornholm is 588 km2. The island has a network of roads, all of which are of a good standard. The maximum 'point to point' travel distance by car on the island is less than one hour.
The geographical distances to Sweden, Germany, and Poland are shorter than to the rest of Denmark.
Due to the island's nationality, the infrastructure network primarily connects Bornholm to the world through Denmark. There are six daily departures to Copenhagen Airport and the travel time from check-in to arrival is about one hour. Extensive ferry connections also exist.
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