Denmark Population
Denmark had an estimated population of 6,009,169 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 114th most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.07% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of +0.54% a year.
Denmark at a glance
How Denmark's population is changing
Denmark's population is growing: +0.54% a year, which works out to about +32,263 people per year, or +88 a day. Births (9.5 per 1,000) and deaths (9.5 per 1,000) alone would give 0.00% a year; net migration adds about 22,103 people a year (+0.37%). Roughly one in every 1,367 people on Earth lives in Denmark.
Population of Denmark since 1960
In 1960, Denmark had 4,579,603 people. By 2025 that was 6,009,169 — 1.3× larger. The fastest growth came between 1960 and 1970, when the population rose by 8%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 4,579,603 | — |
| 1970 | 4,928,757 | +7.6% |
| 1980 | 5,123,027 | +3.9% |
| 1990 | 5,140,939 | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 5,339,616 | +3.9% |
| 2010 | 5,547,683 | +3.9% |
| 2020 | 5,831,404 | +5.1% |
| 2025 | 6,009,169 | +3.0% |
Denmark from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Denmark at about 1,000,000 people in 1800; the UN estimates 6,002,515 in 2025 (6× 1800) and projects 5,863,205 for 2100 in its medium scenario. The population is projected to peak around 2042 at 6,135,751 and decline afterwards.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 1,000,000 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 1,501,343 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 2,565,333 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 4,268,408 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 5,339,659 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 6,002,515 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 6,124,830 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 6,025,043 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 5,863,205 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Denmark
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 6,009,169. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Copenhagen | 1,229,370 | UN urban centre | 20.46% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Århus | 285,273 | GeoNames settlement | 4.75% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 3 | Odense | 130,258 | UN urban centre | 2.17% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 4 | Aalborg | 101,143 | UN urban centre | 1.68% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 5 | Frederiksberg | 95,029 | GeoNames settlement | 1.58% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 6 | Esbjerg | 71,698 | GeoNames settlement | 1.19% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 7 | Randers | 62,802 | GeoNames settlement | 1.05% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 8 | Kolding | 61,638 | GeoNames settlement | 1.03% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 9 | Horsens | 61,074 | GeoNames settlement | 1.02% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 10 | Vejle | 60,231 | GeoNames settlement | 1.00% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How Denmark compares
Denmark has almost the same population as Singapore (6,111,175).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Denmark | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #112 |  El Salvador | 6,365,503 | +6% | compare → |
| #113 |  Singapore | 6,111,175 | +2% | compare → |
| #115 |  Lebanon | 5,849,421 | −3% | compare → |
| #116 |  Liberia | 5,731,206 | −5% | compare → |
Compare Denmark with any country →
Same region (Europe & Central Asia): Russia, Türkiye, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy.
Explore around Denmark
Land neighbours (1)
Denmark's 1 neighbours together hold 83,491,249 people — 13.9× Denmark's population. The most populous is Germany (83,491,249).
In its region
Denmark is the 29th most populous of the 58 economies in Europe & Central Asia, holding 0.6% of the region's 932,525,035 people.
Rankings featuring Denmark
Cities
Copenhagen, Århus, Odense, Aalborg, Frederiksberg, Esbjerg, Randers, Kolding — all Denmark's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Denmark when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.