Denmark Population

The standard of living in Denmark is very high, and society is characterized by social and economic equality in relation to many countries. The country is a world leader in industrial design.

Key figures and facts

• Capital: Copenhagen
• Ethnic groups: Scandinavians 86.7%, Turkish 1.1%, other 12.2% (the largest groups are Polish, Syrian, German) (2017)
• Language: Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (Inuit dialect) and German (small minority)
• Religion: Christians 80%, Muslims 4%, others 16% (2012)
• Population: 5,754,356 (2017)
• Control Form: monarchy
• Area: 43 090 km²
• Currency: Danish krone
• GNP per capita: 49 029 PPP $
• National Day: June 5th

Population of Denmark

Denmark has been living since the ice retreated after the last ice age. Here, around the year 1000, there was an agricultural community with villages scattered throughout the country. In the period 1300 to 1800, the population remained almost constant with about one million residents. After 1850, there was an annual increase in the population of just over one percent up to the 1920s. (In 1850 the population was 1.4 million residents, in 1900 2.4 million). During this period, emigration never reached the same extent as in Norway and Sweden.

Natural population growth (birth – death) has remained below one percent a year later; in the period 1970-80 the growth rate was 0.4 percent, in the 1980s it was negative. From 1989, again, there has been a steady increase in the birth surplus, like much of the rest of Northern Europe. During the 1980s, immigration from abroad was mostly greater than emigration, and compensated for the lower birth rates. The total population growth (born – dead, immigrated – emigrated) was 0.3 percent per year in the period 1995–2004. Half of the increase is due to immigration surplus relative to abroad.

The general decline in birth rates in recent decades explains the large proportion of older people in the population; close to 20 percent of the population is over 60 years of age. The average life expectancy is rising and is in the 2000s 79.2 years for women and 74.7 years for men; it is somewhat lower than in the other Nordic countries.

Population of Denmark by Year (Historical)

Year	Population	Annual Growth Rate	Population Density	Global Rank
2020	5,792,091	0.350%	136.5120	115
2019	5,771,765	0.340%	136.0329	115
2018	5,752,015	0.350%	135.5674	115
2017	5,732,163	0.370%	135.0995	114
2016	5,711,238	0.400%	134.6064	113
2015	5,688,584	0.480%	134.0725	113
2010	5,554,733	0.490%	130.9178	111
2005	5,421,591	0.300%	127.7799	110
2000	5,341,083	0.410%	125.8825	105
1995	5,232,593	0.350%	123.3256	102
1990	5,141,004	0.100%	121.1670	101
1985	5,114,132	-0.040%	120.5337	97
1980	5,123,834	0.240%	120.7623	92
1975	5,062,618	0.530%	119.3196	87
1970	4,931,130	0.710%	116.2206	83
1965	4,760,349	0.770%	112.1956	79
1960	4,580,990	0.620%	107.9684	75
1955	4,440,667	0.800%	104.6613	75
1950	4,268,160	0.000%	100.5956	74

Major Cities in Denmark by Population

Rank	City	Population
1	Copenhagen	1,153,504
2	Arhus	237,440
3	Odense	145,820
4	Aalborg	122,108
5	Frederiksberg	94,918
6	Esbjerg	72,094
7	Randers	55,669
8	Kolding	55,252
9	Vejle	51,066
10	Horsens	49,963
11	Hvidovre	49,269
12	Greve	47,560
13	Herning	44,652
14	Roskilde	44,174
15	Silkeborg	41,563
16	Naestved	40,549
17	Ballerup	39,889
18	Charlottenlund	39,889
19	Vanlose	37,004
20	Fredericia	36,835
21	Horsholm	36,559
22	Helsingor	34,937
23	Viborg	34,720
24	Koge	33,774
25	Holstebro	31,961
26	Slagelse	31,785
27	Taastrup	30,866
28	Hillerod	30,742
29	Albertslund	29,889
30	Rodovre	29,889
31	Svendborg	27,442
32	Sonderborg	26,922
33	Hjorring	24,523
34	Holbaek	24,433
35	Frederikshavn	23,992
36	Norresundby	21,972
37	Haderslev	20,714
38	Skive	20,704
39	Glostrup	20,562
40	Ringsted	20,077
41	Stenlose	19,887
42	Ishoj	19,342
43	Birkerod	18,790
44	Farum	18,265
45	Nykobing Falster	16,696
46	Aabenraa	16,233
47	Kalundborg	15,828
48	Nyborg	15,715
49	Lillerod	15,248
50	Korsor	14,918
51	Solrod Strand	14,734
52	Ikast	14,581
53	Frederikssund	14,453
54	Grenaa	14,206
55	Nakskov	13,970
56	Ronne	13,779
57	Middelfart	13,485
58	Skanderborg	13,432
59	Vallensbaek	13,389
60	Vaerlose	12,913
61	Thisted	12,909
62	Varde	12,624
63	Frederiksvaerk	12,065
64	Vordingborg	11,903
65	Bronderslev	11,560
66	Espergaerde	11,247
67	Struer	11,206
68	Flong	10,997
69	Hobro	10,953
70	Dragor	10,934
71	Odder	10,898
72	Kongens Lyngby	10,489
73	Haslev	10,477
74	Christianshavn	10,029
75	Hedensted	9,937
76	Tarnby	9,889
77	Jyllinge	9,870
78	Skagen	9,636
79	Smorumnedre	9,396
80	Grindsted	9,303
81	Nykobing Mors	9,215
82	Ringkobing	9,204
83	Lystrup	8,996
84	Humlebaek	8,854
85	Lokken	8,717
86	Hundested	8,504
87	Trorod	8,465
88	Vejen	8,414
89	Malov	8,402
90	Saeby	8,324
91	Fredensborg	8,138
92	Niva	7,924
93	Vojens	7,908
94	Ribe	7,872
95	Tonder	7,730
96	Aars	7,660
97	Ebeltoft	7,390
98	Nordborg	7,295
99	Bjerringbro	7,279
100	Helsinge	7,243
101	Lemvig	7,219
102	Tranbjerg	7,196
103	Faaborg	7,128
104	Soro	7,056
105	Skjern	7,034
106	Hinnerup	6,944
107	Hadsten	6,909
108	Slangerup	6,718
109	Bramming	6,615
110	Hirtshals	6,542
111	Skaelskor	6,344
112	Brande	6,246
113	Stovring	6,128
114	Billund	6,049
115	Hammel	6,027
116	Horning	5,974
117	Assens	5,942
118	Gilleleje	5,688
119	Kerteminde	5,637
120	Stavnsholt	5,547
121	Neder Holluf	5,501
122	Nykobing Sjaelland	5,485
123	Rodekro	5,341
124	Maribo	5,238
125	Olstykke	5,237
126	Hellebaek	5,132
127	Munkebo	5,114
128	Tune	5,057
129	Hadsund	4,955
130	Kolt	4,950
131	Logten	4,937

Demography

The population of Denmark is almost exclusively of Nordic origin, but from the 1980s immigration increased. It was the largest in 1995, when 40,000 foreign nationals came to Denmark. With stricter immigration legislation, the figure has since been lower, around 25,000 per year. In 2012, foreign nationals and their descendants made up 10 percent of the total population. Largest groups of foreign nationals (2003) are from Turkey, the former Yugoslavia, Germany and Iraq. Other major groups are British, Somalis, Norwegians, Swedes and Iraqis.

The geographical distribution of immigrants is uneven, but most of them settle in the metropolitan area. In some suburban municipalities in Copenhagen, more than 20 percent of the residents are of foreign origin. In southern Jutland there is a German-speaking minority of 30,000 people; this makes up about six percent of the population in the region, but they are highly integrated and assimilated into Danish society.

Population Density

Denmark is the most densely populated of the Nordic countries with an average of 125.2 people per km². Zealand (298.2 per km²), Funen and the east coast of Jutland are the most densely populated areas. The lowest densities especially have the middle and western parts of Jutland. 85 percent of the residents live in cities and towns. The four largest cities, Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense and Aalborg has higher population growth than the rest of Denmark, due to higher birth surplus and higher immigration. The latter must probably be seen in the context of foreigners having better opportunities to study and get work in the cities. However, the population density in the largest cities was higher in the early 1970s.

Since 1958, however, Danish district policy has been aimed at reducing the difference between the different parts of Denmark in terms of both population development and economic growth. Population growth has recently been concentrated in the municipal centers in the countryside, while the smaller provincial towns have stagnated. After many years of decline, Greater Copenhagen has had a rising population since the mid-1990s.

Each year, 2.5 percent of the population moves from one region to another, corresponding to about 150,000 people, and most of them move within their main part of the country, ie Zealand, Funen or Jutland. 70 percent of the young people who moved to Copenhagen or Aarhus in 1990 live today elsewhere in Denmark and 30 percent live where they came from in 1990. Many choose to move back where the family resides.

Language

The official language and mother tongue of the majority of the population is Danish. In southern Jutland, a minority lives mainly in bilinguals and has German as their mother tongue or another language.

In the Faroe Islands, Danish and Faroese are equated as an administrative language, in Greenland Danish and Greenland are equated.

Name

The most common name combinations in the entire population are:

Sort	Female	Male
1	Kirsten Nielsen	Michael Jensen
2	Kirsten Jensen	Henrik Nielsen
3	Hanne Nielsen	Michael Nielsen
4	Kirsten Hansen	Henrik Jensen
5	Helle Nielsen	Jørgen Nielsen

After the introduction of the Names Act in 1828, girls and boys were no longer named after their father. Names such as “Nielsdatter” and “Knudsdatter” disappeared and the name “Jensen” no longer meant that he was Jens son, but that the late name was changed to family name. By 2020, according to Statistics Denmark, there are more than one million Danes with late names and among the 20 most common surnames, only “Møller” is not late name. The most frequent surnames are:

#	Name	Number
1	Nielsen	242 654
2	Jensen	240 669
3	Hansen	202 745
4	Pedersen	153 601
5	Andersen	152 748
6	Christensen	113 855
7	Larsen	110 029
8	Sorensen	105 034
9	Rasmussen	90 211
10	Jorgensen	84 036

Biggest cities

Residents 2015	2014
Copenhagen	1 263 698	1 246 611
Aarhus	261 570	259 754
Odense	173 814	172 512
Aalborg	110 495	109 092
Esbjerg	72 060	71 618
Randers	61 664	61 163
Kolding	58 757	58 021
Horsens	56 536	55 884
Vejle	53 973	53 230
Roskilde	49 297	48 721