The Ministry of Social Affairs was first established in 1924, under the first government led by the
Social Democrats,
Thorvald Stauning's first cabinet. The ministry overtook responsibility for social affairs, international
social policy,
child welfare, and
mental health services—roles which previously fell within the purview of the
Ministry of the Interior, the
Ministry of Justice, and the
Ministry of Education. The ministry was abolished in 1926 when Stauning's cabinet was succeeded by the
Venstre Party. When Stauning came back to power in 1929, the ministry was re-established. In 1940, the responsibility for
labor law was separated from the ministry, forming the
Ministry of Labor. Between 1945–1947 and 1950–1953 the two ministries were merged. This included the supervision of the Sikringsstyrelsen, a directorate which worked to secure citizens' social rights, including in the form of international
pension and
social security, across national borders. With the formation of
Helle Thorning-Schmidt's first cabinet in October 2011, the ministry was renamed the Ministry of Social Affairs and Integration, and took over responsibility for
integration policy from the Ministry of Refugees, Immigrants and Integration (Danish:
Ministeriet for Flygtninge, Indvandrere og Integration). The name of the ministry again changed in 2013 to the Ministry of Social Affairs, Children and Integration when it overtook responsibility for child welfare from the Ministry of Education. In 2014, its name was changed to the Ministry of Children, Equality, Integration and Social Affairs and in 2015 it was renamed the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Interior. In 2016, the ministry was briefly reformed as the Ministry of Children and Social Affairs before returning to be the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Interior in 2019. In 2022, the ministry merged with the
Ministry for Housing to form the Ministry of Social Affairs, Housing, and Elderly Affairs. In 2024, an independent Ministry of Elderly Affairs was formed and separated from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing. ==List of ministers==