Share of births outside marriage in Denmark

Denmark: Share of births outside marriage was 54.2 in 2020. β–² Rising

Latest (2020)
54.2
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
11th
of 42 countries
All-time high
54.2
in 2017
All-time low
7.8
in 1960
Years of data
61
1960–2020

Share of births outside marriage in Denmark, 1960–2020

1020304050196019902020

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2020, share of births outside marriage in Denmark stood at 54.2. That is the highest value across all 61 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 14.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of births outside marriage in Denmark peaked at 54.2 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 7.8, in 1960.

Denmark ranks 11th of 42 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 61 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 9.55 7.8 11.3 10
1970s 20.38 11 30.7 10
1980s 41.19 33.2 46.1 10
1990s 46.06 44.8 46.9 10
2000s 45.53 44.6 46.8 10
2010s 52.12 47.3 54.2 10
2020s 54.2 54.2 54.2 1

Countries ranked near Denmark

  1. 8 Portugal 57.9 compare
  2. 9 Slovenia 56.5 compare
  3. 10 Sweden 55.2 compare
  4. 12 Estonia 53.7 compare
  5. 13 Netherlands 53.5 compare
  6. 14 Belgium 52.4 compare

See the full ranking of 42 places β†’

More population data for Denmark

All data for Denmark β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is share of births outside marriage in Denmark?
Share of births outside marriage in Denmark was 54.2 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of births outside marriage recorded in Denmark?
The highest recorded value was 54.2 in 2017.
What is the lowest share of births outside marriage recorded in Denmark?
The lowest recorded value was 7.8 in 1960.
How does Denmark rank for share of births outside marriage?
Denmark ranks 11th out of 42 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of births outside marriage rising or falling in Denmark?
Over the last ten years it is up 14.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Denmark data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of births outside marriage. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of births outside marriage in Denmark. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 19 August 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-births-outside-marriage/denmark/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of births outside marriage
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
42 places, 2,139 data points, 1960–2021
Last refreshed