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Population, Midyear 2022: 5,882,262
Population Density (Number of Persons per Square Kilometer): 138.75
Life Expectancy at Birth, 2022: 81.88
Projected Population, Midyear 2030: 6,104,474
Percentage of Total Population Aged 65 and Older, Midyear 2022: 20.49%
Projected Percentage of Total Population Aged 65 and Older, Midyear 2030: 22.55%
Projected Percentage of Total Population Aged 65 and Older, Midyear 2050: 24.42%

Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2023). Data Portal, custom data acquired via website. United Nations: New York. Accessed 12 May 2023.

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Percent of Adults Aged 65 and Over Receiving Long-Term Care (2017): NA
Percent of Adults Aged 65 Years and Over Reporting To Be In Fair, Bad, or Very Bad Health (2017): 42.6%
People With Dementia Per 1,000 Population (2019): 17.0%
Projected Number of People With Dementia Per 1,000 Population in 2050: 28.3%
Long-Term Care Workers Per 100 People Aged 65 And Over (2016): 8.1
Long-Term Care Beds In Institutions and Hospitals Per 1,000 Population Aged 65 And Over (2017): 48.9
Long-Term Care Expenditure (Health and Social Components) By Government and Compulsory Insurance Schemes, as a Share of GDP (%) (2017): 2.5%

Source: OECD (2019), Health at a Glance 2019: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/4dd50c09-en.

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Formal Long-Term Care Workers At Home (FTE) (2018): NA
Formal Long-Term Care Workers In Institutions (FTE) (2018): NA
Long-Term Care Recipients In Institutions Other Than Hospitals (2018): NA
Long-Term Care Recipients At Home (2018): 145,407.6

Source: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. OECD.Stat. Last accessed Oct. 7, 2020.

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“In 2017, Danes reaching the age of 65 could expect to live another 19.6 years, 2.5 years more than in 2000, although many of these years are lived with some health issues and disabilities (Figure 4). The gender gap in life expectancy at age 65 is 2.5 years in favour of women, but the gap in the number of healthy life years is much smaller because Danish women live a greater part of their lives in old age with some health issues and disabilities.¹

“While about half reported having at least one chronic condition, this does not mean that older Danes cannot lead a normal life and carry on their usual activities, and most people are able to continue to live independenly in old age. However, one in eight Danish people aged 65 and over reported some limitations in basic activities of daily living (ADL) such as dressing and eating.”

Source: OECD/European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (2019), Denmark: Country Health Profile 2019, State of Health in the EU, OECD Publishing, Paris/European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, Brussels.

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“The demographic development of a proportional increase in the number of older people compared with the total population in Denmark is expected to pose a serious challenge for municipalities. In order to reduce the financial cost of care for older people, health and social authorities are attempting to place more and more emphasis on self-care, increased support for people to remain in their homes for as long as possible, and on effective preventive and health-promoting activities.

“Municipalities have developed a wide range of services to accommodate the preference of senior citizens to remain independent for as long as possible in their own homes. These services include care and assistance with cleaning, shopping, washing, the preparation of meals and personal hygiene. Home care can be used to assist or relieve family members who are caring for a sick or disabled person. Two forms of home care are available: long-term and temporary. Long-term care is provided free of charge, whereas temporary home care visits may warrant individual payment, depending on the income of the recipient (Jarden & Jarden, 2002).

“Home nurses offer day and night services, such as patient education, care and treatment, and they help in filling out applications for various needs. These needs include a change of residence, aid, emergency help and attendance at senior centres and senior day care facilities, and they are provided free of charge. All disabled or ill individuals can have an emergency or safety phone system installed in their home that provides them with direct 24-hour contact to their public health nurse.”

Source: Olejaz M, Juul Nielsen A, Rudkjøbing A, Okkels Birk H, Krasnik A, Hernández-Quevedo C. Denmark: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2012, 14(2):1 – 192.

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“A number of services are available for the informal care of a person with reduced functional capability as a result of a severe physical or mental condition or a chronic or long-term illness. Someone who wishes to be an informal carer for a close relative may be employed by the municipality. However, the following preconditions must be fulfilled to do so: (1) the alternative to home care is day and night care outside the home or the quantity of care needed corresponds to a full-time position; (2) there is an agreement between the parties concerning the care arrangement; and (3) the municipality has approved the suitability of the person in question as an informal carer. The informal carer can be employed for up to six months with a monthly salary of DKK 16 556 (Act to Consolidate the Service Law 2011), which corresponds to approximately three-quarters of the average annual Danish income in 2008 of DKK 278 500 (Statistics Denmark, 2011).

“A person who takes care of a close relative with a terminal illness can apply for compensation for lost earnings. The application should be sent to the municipality. The preconditions of the compensation are: (1) that a doctor assesses the close relative and deems further hospital treatment to be hopeless; and (2) that the condition of the patient does not demand hospital admission. This compensation amounts to 1.5 times the amount the informal carer would have been given as sickness benefit. However, exceeding the informal carer’s normal salary is not allowed.”

Source: Olejaz M, Juul Nielsen A, Rudkjøbing A, Okkels Birk H, Krasnik A, Hernández-Quevedo C. Denmark: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2012, 14(2):1 – 192.

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Health Systems Facts is a project of the Real Reporting Foundation. We provide reliable statistics and other data from authoritative sources regarding health systems in the US and sixteen other nations.

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Page last updated May 14, 2023 by Doug McVay, Editor.