The information sector in Denmark and Sweden: Value, employment, wages

•We conduct the first ever assessment of information sectors of the Swedish and Danish economies in the Internet age.•Unsurprisingly, the assessment shows that both economies are dominated by their information sectors.•Unexpected is that the Swedish information sector produces much more information goods than does the Danish information sector.•The uncovered structures of the two information sectors have implications for policy design and the future automation of jobs. Although Denmark and Sweden are deemed digital technology leaders, their information sectors have not yet been comprehensively measured. This study bridges this gap. Data for 1990–2012 are reclassified to fit the information sector conceptual framework from prior studies. The analyses examine sector economic value added, share of workers, share of the wage bill, and productivity ratios. These countries’ information sectors are compared with those of the United States and South Korea. Novel results include the counterintuitive indication that Denmark's sector differs from Sweden's, with the latter's being closer to South Korea's. The information sector dominates both economies, although Sweden's seems more productive than Denmark's.