Vulnerable residential area (Denmark)

Residents at Mjølnerparken in Copenhagen taking part in a project to plant fruit bushes and herbs. Mjølnerparken was formerly classified as a vulnerable residential area, but was removed from the list in 2023.

"Vulnerable residential area" (Danish: Udsat boligområde) is an official term for a social housing district in Denmark which fulfils certain statistical criteria of relatively low employment/school attendance, relatively low income, a relatively low educational level and/or relatively many convicted inhabitants. If more than 50% of the residents in a vulnerable area are non-Western immigrants and their descendants, the area is additionally designated a "parallel society". The Danish government has published an official list of vulnerable residential areas annually since 2010, with changes in the definition and/or terminology in 2013, 2018 and 2021. During the period 2010-2021, the term "ghetto" was used officially to designate some or all of the vulnerable areas, but the term was considered controversial and removed in 2021.