Throughout 2022, the world faced unprecedented water challenges. Europe experienced historical drought. Marine environments are under pressure from increasingly violent weather events, and biodiversity suffers. Many countries experienced severe flooding, and water quality is under pressure. The world is experiencing disruptions in the global water cycle. The water crisis is imminent and growing.
We need a paradigm shift in how we live with and manage water and in how we protect water-related ecosystems. The United Nations has set clear sustainable development goals (SDGs) on how to achieve this paradigm shift. DHI’s strategy, DHI+, launched in 2021, has a clear target to use the combined power of DHI’s highly skilled people, our unique technology and our global presence to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs.
In 2022, we took a significant step forward, successfully completing the first phase of the strategy. We increased our efforts to connect with clients, partners and universities across the world, and together with them, we are innovating for the future. We applied our knowledge and technology in more than 2,400 projects across the world, ensuring a science-based approach to problem-solving. We also completed a transformation of our organisation, setting up a new structure that releases the full potential of our people’s global expertise and skills.
Uniting our efforts across the globe internally and externally also resulted in the launch of several new innovative digital solutions and new releases to our unique water modelling software suite, MIKE Powered by DHI.
Our financial results for 2022 confirm the positive development. DHI delivered solid growth across all global business units with revenue growth of 8.2%, reaching the highest revenue in the history of DHI. Growth in order inflow was even higher, with an increase of 20.9% compared to 2021, also reaching a record high. During the year, we also succeeded in attracting more research funds than in 2021, enabling us to develop more technology services to the benefit of our clients. EBIT was EUR 0.7 million higher than in 2021, despite we continued to develop and invest in our strategy.
DHI is a signatory member of the United Nations' Global Compact (UNGC) and its 10 principles, and we took steps to advance our sustainability strategy. We have set ambitious targets of reducing carbon emissions from our own operations, and we have started to categorise the direct and positive SDG impact from our projects - with findings showing that 79% of our projects contribute positively to the SDGs.
I am deeply impressed by the dedication and competencies of the people at DHI. They are second to none in understanding the water cycle and its impact on society and nature. Together with our clients and partners, and with the use of advanced technology, we innovate new ways to live with water. Across DHI, we look forward to continuing the collaboration and enabling a sustainable future for water.
Mette Vestergaard
CEO