Female life expectancy at birth in Denmark
Denmark: Female life expectancy at birth was 83.86 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Female life expectancy at birth in Denmark, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Denmark recorded 83.86 years for female life expectancy at birth in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 1.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, female life expectancy at birth in Denmark peaked at 83.86 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 71.53 years, in 1950.
That places Denmark 39th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Female life expectancy at birth in Denmark, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 71.53 years | — |
| 1951 | 72.15 years | +0.9% |
| 1952 | 72.15 years | -0.0% |
| 1953 | 72.47 years | +0.5% |
| 1954 | 72.81 years | +0.5% |
| 1955 | 73.46 years | +0.9% |
| 1956 | 73.71 years | +0.3% |
| 1957 | 73.48 years | -0.3% |
| 1958 | 74.03 years | +0.7% |
| 1959 | 73.88 years | -0.2% |
| 1960 | 73.99 years | +0.2% |
| 1961 | 74.38 years | +0.5% |
| 1962 | 74.44 years | +0.1% |
| 1963 | 74.48 years | +0.1% |
| 1964 | 74.8 years | +0.4% |
| 1965 | 74.65 years | -0.2% |
| 1966 | 74.79 years | +0.2% |
| 1967 | 75.36 years | +0.8% |
| 1968 | 75.58 years | +0.3% |
| 1969 | 75.7 years | +0.2% |
| 1970 | 75.92 years | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 76.16 years | +0.3% |
| 1972 | 76.22 years | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 76.53 years | +0.4% |
| 1974 | 76.82 years | +0.4% |
| 1975 | 77.01 years | +0.2% |
| 1976 | 76.7 years | -0.4% |
| 1977 | 77.67 years | +1.3% |
| 1978 | 77.42 years | -0.3% |
| 1979 | 77.4 years | -0.0% |
| 1980 | 77.18 years | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 77.36 years | +0.2% |
| 1982 | 77.65 years | +0.4% |
| 1983 | 77.55 years | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 77.63 years | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 77.48 years | -0.2% |
| 1986 | 77.54 years | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 77.79 years | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 77.64 years | -0.2% |
| 1989 | 77.76 years | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 77.73 years | -0.0% |
| 1991 | 77.98 years | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 77.97 years | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 77.77 years | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 78.09 years | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 77.84 years | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 78.26 years | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 78.47 years | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 78.88 years | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 78.89 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 79.12 years | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 79.21 years | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 79.34 years | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 79.74 years | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 80.11 years | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 80.44 years | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 80.51 years | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 80.53 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 80.91 years | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 81.03 years | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 81.34 years | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 81.82 years | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 82.04 years | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 82.3 years | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 82.66 years | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 82.68 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 82.79 years | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 83.12 years | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 82.96 years | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 83.42 years | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 83.5 years | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 83.3 years | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 83.17 years | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 83.86 years | +0.8% |
Denmark compared with similar countries
- Denmark's 83.86 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 83.13 years, 1.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Denmark's 83.86 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 82.57 years, 1.0× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 72.97 years | 71.53 years | 74.03 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 74.81 years | 73.99 years | 75.7 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 76.79 years | 75.92 years | 77.67 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 77.56 years | 77.18 years | 77.79 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 78.19 years | 77.73 years | 78.89 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 80.1 years | 79.12 years | 81.03 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 82.51 years | 81.34 years | 83.42 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 83.46 years | 83.17 years | 83.86 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Denmark
- 36 Belgium 84.33 years compare
- 37 Austria 84.32 years compare
- 38 United Arab Emirates 84.2 years compare
- 40 Saint Martin (French part) 83.84 years compare
- 41 Luxembourg 83.84 years compare
- 42 New Zealand 83.77 years compare
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 female life expectancy at birth in Denmark?
- Female life expectancy at birth in Denmark was 83.86 years in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest female life expectancy at birth recorded in Denmark?
- The highest recorded value was 83.86 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest female life expectancy at birth recorded in Denmark?
- The lowest recorded value was 71.53 years in 1950.
- How does Denmark rank for female life expectancy at birth?
- Denmark ranks 39th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is female life expectancy at birth rising or falling in Denmark?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Denmark data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Female life expectancy at birth. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Period life expectancy at birth.