Life expectancy in Denmark
Denmark: Life expectancy was 81.5 years in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
81.5 years
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
18th
of 49 countries
All-time high
81.6 years
in 2020
All-time low
72.4 years
in 1960
Years of data
56
1960–2021
Life expectancy in Denmark, 1960–2021
Source: OECD (2023) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Denmark recorded 81.5 years for life expectancy in 2021.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and up 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy in Denmark peaked at 81.6 years in 2020 and was at its lowest, 72.4 years, in 1960.
Denmark ranks 18th of 49 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Life expectancy in Denmark, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 72.4 years | — |
| 1967 | 72.6 years | +0.3% |
| 1968 | 73 years | +0.6% |
| 1969 | 73.2 years | +0.3% |
| 1970 | 73.3 years | +0.1% |
| 1971 | 73.3 years | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 73.4 years | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 73.6 years | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 73.9 years | +0.4% |
| 1975 | 74.2 years | +0.4% |
| 1976 | 73.8 years | -0.5% |
| 1977 | 74.7 years | +1.2% |
| 1978 | 74.5 years | -0.3% |
| 1979 | 74.3 years | -0.3% |
| 1980 | 74.2 years | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 74.3 years | +0.1% |
| 1982 | 74.7 years | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 74.5 years | -0.3% |
| 1984 | 74.7 years | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 74.5 years | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 74.7 years | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 74.8 years | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 74.9 years | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 74.9 years | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 74.9 years | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 75.3 years | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 75.3 years | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 75.2 years | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 75.5 years | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 75.3 years | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 75.7 years | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 76.1 years | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 76.5 years | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 76.6 years | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 76.9 years | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 77 years | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 77.1 years | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 77.4 years | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 77.8 years | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 78.3 years | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 78.4 years | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 78.4 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 78.8 years | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 79 years | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 79.3 years | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 79.9 years | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 80.2 years | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 80.4 years | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 80.7 years | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 80.8 years | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 80.9 years | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 81.1 years | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 81 years | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 81.5 years | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 81.6 years | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 81.5 years | -0.1% |
Denmark compared with similar countries
- Denmark's 81.5 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 81.4 years, 1.0× the median. (39 countries reporting)
- Denmark's 81.5 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 81 years, 1.0× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 72.8 years | 72.4 years | 73.2 years | 4 |
| 1970s | 73.9 years | 73.3 years | 74.7 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 74.62 years | 74.2 years | 74.9 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 75.64 years | 74.9 years | 76.6 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 77.91 years | 76.9 years | 79 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 80.58 years | 79.3 years | 81.5 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 81.55 years | 81.5 years | 81.6 years | 2 |
Countries ranked near Denmark
More health data for Denmark
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -3.12 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.1019 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,179 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 31 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.4524 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0247 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.4338 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy in Denmark?
- Life expectancy in Denmark was 81.5 years in 2021, according to OECD (2023) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy recorded in Denmark?
- The highest recorded value was 81.6 years in 2020.
- What is the lowest life expectancy recorded in Denmark?
- The lowest recorded value was 72.4 years in 1960.
- How does Denmark rank for life expectancy?
- Denmark ranks 18th out of 49 countries with data for 2021.
- Is life expectancy rising or falling in Denmark?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Denmark data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2023) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Period life expectancy at birth, in a given year.