Demographics of Denmark


features of the population of Denmark proper, part of the Danish Realm, include ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations, and other aspects.

Population

Since 1980, which marked a decrease in population, the number of people of Danish descent, defined as having at least one parent who was born in Denmark and has Danish citizenship, has remained constant at around 5 million in Denmark, and nearly all the population growth from 5.1 and thereafter was mostly due to immigration. During April of 2025, the number of inhabitants in Denmark reached 6 million.
Population numbers in 2100 will be slightly lower than in 2024.
File:Norden pop density.gif|thumb|The population density is higher in Denmark than in the other Nordic countries.
YearPopulation
1769797,584
1787841,806
1801929,001
18341,230,964
18401,289,075
18451,356,877
18501,414,648
18551,507,222
18601,608,362
18701,784,741
18801,969,039
18902,172,380
19012,449,540
19062,588,919
19112,757,076
19162,921,362
19213,267,831
19253,434,555
19303,550,656
19353,706,349
19403,844,312
19454,045,232
19504,281,275
19554,448,401
19604,585,256
19654,767,597
19704,937,579
19714,950,598
19724,975,653
19735,007,538
19745,036,184
19755,054,410

Fertility

The natural growth of the population was negative in 2022, that is, minus 1005 people. The previous last year there was a negative natural increase in the population was in 1988. During 2022, 58,430 children were born, 5,043 fewer than in 2021. In 2022, 59,435 people died, there were 2,283, or 4.0% more than in 2021. The total population in the age group 80 and over grew by 12,844 people, or 4.4%., from 2022 to 2023.
During 2022, the Danish population grew by 59,234 people, so the population on January 1, 2023, consisted of 5,932,654 people. It was a population increase of 1.0 percent, which is higher than in 2021, when the population increase was 0.6 percent.
In 2022, Denmark had a total fertility rate of 1.55 children per woman in 2022. It is the first time in history that immigrant women from non-Western countries now have fewer children on average than women of Danish roots in Denmark. On average, immigrant women have 1.76 children, the descendants have an average of 1.75 children, while women of Danish roots have 1.78 children. This is because Ukrainians, who are categorized as non-Western, have come to Denmark in large numbers. In the same year, immigrant women from Syria had the highest TFR, they gave birth to an average of 3.7 children. They are followed by women from Somalia and Pakistan, 2020 figures show.
In 2021 the number of childless women aged 50 was the highest in seven years; 12.3 percent of women aged 50 have never had a child, while 19.5 percent of 50-year-old men do not have children.

Historical fertility rates

The total fertility rate is the number of children born per woman. It is based on fairly good data for the entire period. Sources: Our World In Data and Gapminder Foundation.
Year18501851185218531854185518561857185818591860
Total fertility rate in Denmark4.244.064.484.274.414.314.374.444.484.534.4

Year1871187218731874187518761877187818791880
Total fertility rate in Denmark4.064.094.164.174.314.44.364.274.34.28

Year189118921893189418951896189718981899
Total fertility rate in Denmark4.1844.164.14.094.114.024.084.01

Total fertility rate
1.78 children born/woman Country comparison to the world: 152nd

Average age of the mother at her first birth

In 2021 the average age of the mother at her first birth in Denmark was of 29.8 years, and the father is of 31.5 years.

Life expectancy

Sources: Our World In Data and the United Nations.
1775–1950
Years17751835183618371838183918401841184218431844184518461847184818491850
Life expectancy in Denmark33.038.440.041.543.141.941.142.642.543.944.043.440.440.440.839.543.5

Years1851185218531854185518561857185818591860
Life expectancy in Denmark44.543.038.544.746.146.742.540.044.445.1

Years1871187218731874187518761877187818791880
Life expectancy in Denmark46.147.247.546.044.445.847.347.546.244.8

Years1891189218931894189518961897189818991900
Life expectancy in Denmark46.847.447.149.450.852.951.853.150.651.9

Years1911191219131914191519161917191819191920
Life expectancy in Denmark57.058.058.958.558.456.957.356.357.057.6

Years1931193219331934193519361937193819391940
Life expectancy in Denmark61.862.763.664.162.963.564.065.065.866.3

1950–2015
PeriodLife expectancy in
Years		PeriodLife expectancy in
Years
1950–195571.11985–199074.8
1955–196072.11990–199575.2
1960–196572.41995–200076.1
1965–197072.92000–200577.3
1970–197573.62005–201078.6
1975–198074.22010–201580.2
1980–198574.4

Age structure

; Median age

Ethnic and origin groups

Non-indigenous ethnic minorities include:
Ethnic minorities in Denmark include a handful of groups:
  • Approximately 15,000 people in Denmark belong to a German minority traditionally referred to as tysksindet meaning "German-minded" in Danish, and as Nordschleswiger in German. This minority of Germans hold Danish citizenship and self-identify as Germans. Many of them speak German or Low German as their home language. There are also several thousand German citizens and other ethnic Germans residing in Denmark with no historical connection to this group. From 1864 until 15 June 1920 this group mainly lived in what would become Germany in 1871. This area had 163,600 inhabitants on its return to Denmark which can be seen on the crude migration change in the table which jumped from 1.6 in 1919 to 54.1 in 1920.
  • An estimated 23,000 people in Denmark proper are ethnic Faroese, while 19,000 Greenlanders reside permanently in Denmark. Many of these use the Faroese and Greenlandic languages, respectively, as their first language. All residents of the Kingdom hold Danish citizenship, unless they inherit or otherwise receive a foreign citizenship.
  • The Danish Jews number around 6,000 in 2020 according to the organisation Jewish Community in Denmark, around 1,700 being card-carrying members of the organisation.
  • There are close to 10,000 Roma in Denmark.