Region Zealand

Region Zealand exists as Copenhagen's shadow—the territory between the capital and the sea that has lost autonomous economic identity. When Denmark created five regions in 2007, Zealand was separated from Copenhagen administratively, but economically the distinction made little sense. Commuters flow into the capital; young people leave for Copenhagen's universities and labor markets; what remains is an aging population in towns that increasingly function as bedroom communities or retirement destinations.

The region demonstrates the depopulation dynamics affecting Europe's capital hinterlands. Lolland-Falster, the islands at Zealand's southern edge, exemplify the problem: net outflows of working-age residents, rising old-age dependency, and public services stretched thin across dispersed settlements. Roskilde, once Denmark's medieval capital, now serves primarily as a Copenhagen commuter suburb. The economic rationale for a separate Zealand region has eroded as the capital's influence extends ever further.

By January 2027, administrative reality catches up: Region Zealand and the Capital Region merge to form 'Eastern Denmark,' signed into law in June 2025. This consolidation acknowledges what demographics already showed—Zealand outside Copenhagen has become functional hinterland rather than autonomous territory. The question is whether merger improves service delivery to Zealand's declining communities or merely formalizes their subordination to Copenhagen's priorities.