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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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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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“Long-term care facilities are varied and numerous in Denmark. In addition to conventional nursing homes, there are psychiatric nursing homes, small apartments (providing basic medical care and located adjacent to nursing homes), group homes and foster homes.

“The municipalities deliver social services, including social welfare allowances (sickness allowances and disability pensions), care for older people, and care for disabled people and people with chronic conditions, including those with mental health disorders. Municipalities are also responsible for providing housing for people with learning disabilities. To provide more cost-effective services, contracting with private non-profit-making agencies is becoming increasingly common. Privately contracted services include long-term inpatient care in nursing homes, care in day-care centres and social services for people with a chronic condition/disability or older people. Some additional services, such as catering and cleaning, are often contracted out to private commercial firms. According to complex assessments of their financial situation, nursing homes and sheltered housing are co-financed by their residents. Low-income residents pay using a proportion of their old-age pension allowance.”

Source: Birk HO, Vrangbæk K, Rudkjøbing A, Krasnik A, Eriksen A, Richardson E, Smith Jervelund S. Denmark: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2024; 26(1): i–152.

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“Since the mid-1980s, the municipalities have increased the number of home nurses and decreased the number of nursing homes. Between 2010 and 2022, the number of adults aged 75 years and over living in nursing homes fell from 58 000 to 51 800. During the same period, the number of people in this age group increased by 47% (2022b). At the same time, the number of older people who receive home help has also been declining. In 2010, 148 955 persons aged 65 years and over received home help compared with 122 470 in 2018 (Danmarks Statistik, 2019). In 2015, an average of 3.7 hours of home help per week were given. By 2019, that number had dropped to 3.3 hours of help per week – a decrease of 10.8% (Danmarks Statistik, 2020b).

“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, as this is also the most cost-effective approach. These services include care and assistance with cleaning, shopping, washing, preparing meals and personal hygiene. Home care can also be used to assist or relieve family members with caring responsibilities. Two forms of home care are available: long-term and temporary. Long-term care is free, whereas temporary home care visits may warrant individual payment, depending on the recipient’s income. All individuals with care needs can have an emergency or safety phone system installed in their home that provides direct 24-hour contact to a public health nurse.”

Source: Birk HO, Vrangbæk K, Rudkjøbing A, Krasnik A, Eriksen A, Richardson E, Smith Jervelund S. Denmark: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2024; 26(1): i–152.

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“The municipality can employ informal carers for a close relative if they meet the following conditions: (1) the alternative to home care is round-the-clock care outside the home, or the amount of care needed corresponds to a fulltime 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 6 months with a monthly salary of DKK 24 115 (in 2021) (€3234) (Act to Consolidate the Service Law, 2011), approximately 80% of the average monthly Danish income of DKK 29 475 (€3953) (Danmarks Statistik, 2021).”

Source: Birk HO, Vrangbæk K, Rudkjøbing A, Krasnik A, Eriksen A, Richardson E, Smith Jervelund S. Denmark: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2024; 26(1): i–152.

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

Page last updated April 18, 2025 by Doug McVay, Editor.