Denmark vs Portugal: Share of children who were born outside of marriage
Denmark
54.2%
in 2020
Portugal
57.9%
in 2020
Denmark rank
11th
Portugal rank
8th
Share of children who were born outside of marriage over time
- Denmark
- Portugal
How they compare
Portugal currently reports 57.9% against 54.2% in Denmark, a difference of 3.7%.
That makes Portugal's figure about 1.1 times Denmark's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 61 shared years of data; in 1960 it was Portugal ahead.
Denmark ranks 11th and Portugal ranks 8th of 42 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Denmark averaged higher in 6 and Portugal in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Denmark | Portugal | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 9.6% | 8.1% | 1.5% | Denmark |
| 1970s | 20.4% | 7.4% | 13.0% | Denmark |
| 1980s | 41.2% | 11.7% | 29.4% | Denmark |
| 1990s | 46.1% | 17.9% | 28.2% | Denmark |
| 2000s | 45.5% | 29.8% | 15.8% | Denmark |
| 2010s | 52.1% | 49.8% | 2.4% | Denmark |
| 2020s | 54.2% | 57.9% | 3.7% | Portugal |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of children who were born outside of marriage, Denmark or Portugal?
- Portugal, at 57.9% against 54.2% in Denmark as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of children who were born outside of marriage between Denmark and Portugal?
- 3.7%, with Portugal ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Denmark and Portugal?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2020.
- How do Denmark and Portugal rank globally for share of children who were born outside of marriage?
- Denmark ranks 11th and Portugal ranks 8th of 42 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- OECD (2025); OECD (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of children who were born outside of marriage. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of all children born to mothers who were not married at the time of birth.