Official entrance age to upper secondary education (years) (upper) in Denmark
Denmark: Official entrance age to upper secondary education (years) (upper) was 16 years in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
16 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
10th
of 221 countries
All-time high
16 years
in 1981
All-time low
15 years
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Official entrance age to upper secondary education in Denmark, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for official entrance age to upper secondary education in Denmark is 16 years, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, official entrance age to upper secondary education in Denmark peaked at 16 years in 1981 and was at its lowest, 15 years, in 1970.
Denmark ranks 10th of 221 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Official entrance age to upper secondary education (years) (upper) in Denmark, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 15 years | — |
| 1971 | 15 years | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 15 years | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 15 years | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 15 years | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 15 years | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 15 years | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 15 years | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 15 years | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 15 years | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 15 years | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 1982 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 16 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 16 years | +0.0% |
Denmark compared with similar countries
- Denmark's 16 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 15 years, 1.1× the median. (79 countries reporting)
- Denmark's 16 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 15 years, 1.1× the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 15 years | 15 years | 15 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 15.9 years | 15 years | 16 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 16 years | 16 years | 16 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 16 years | 16 years | 16 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 16 years | 16 years | 16 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 16 years | 16 years | 16 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Denmark
- 10 Afghanistan 16 years compare
- 10 Andorra 16 years compare
- 10 American Samoa 16 years compare
- 10 Australia 16 years compare
- 10 Benin 16 years compare
- 10 Burkina Faso 16 years compare
- 10 Bhutan 16 years compare
- 10 Botswana 16 years compare
- 10 Central African Republic 16 years compare
- 10 Cote d'Ivoire 16 years compare
- 10 Cameroon 16 years compare
- 10 Congo 16 years compare
- 10 Curacao 16 years compare
- 10 Germany 16 years compare
- 10 Estonia 16 years compare
- 10 Finland 16 years compare
- 10 Fiji 16 years compare
- 10 Gambia 16 years compare
- 10 Guatemala 16 years compare
- 10 Indonesia 16 years compare
- 10 Ireland 16 years compare
- 10 Iceland 16 years compare
- 10 Jordan 16 years compare
- 10 Kyrgyzstan 16 years compare
- 10 Liechtenstein 16 years compare
- 10 Lesotho 16 years compare
- 10 Latvia 16 years compare
- 10 Moldova 16 years compare
- 10 Maldives 16 years compare
- 10 Mali 16 years compare
- 10 Mozambique 16 years compare
- 10 Mauritania 16 years compare
- 10 Malawi 16 years compare
- 10 Norway 16 years compare
- 10 Nauru 16 years compare
- 10 Oman 16 years compare
- 10 Philippines 16 years compare
- 10 Russia 16 years compare
- 10 Senegal 16 years compare
- 10 El Salvador 16 years compare
- 10 Suriname 16 years compare
- 10 Sweden 16 years compare
- 10 Eswatini 16 years compare
- 10 Chad 16 years compare
- 10 Togo 16 years compare
- 10 Tajikistan 16 years compare
- 10 Tokelau 16 years compare
- 10 Turkmenistan 16 years compare
- 10 Tonga 16 years compare
- 10 Tuvalu 16 years compare
- 10 Uzbekistan 16 years compare
- 10 Vanuatu 16 years compare
- 10 South Africa 16 years compare
- 10 Zambia 16 years compare
More education data for Denmark
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.21 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.11 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 50,935 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 2,888 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 94,481 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 88,072 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 522,143 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 432,238 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.8558 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is official entrance age to upper secondary education in Denmark?
- Official entrance age to upper secondary education in Denmark was 16 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest official entrance age to upper secondary education recorded in Denmark?
- The highest recorded value was 16 years in 1981.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to upper secondary education recorded in Denmark?
- The lowest recorded value was 15 years in 1970.
- How does Denmark rank for official entrance age to upper secondary education?
- Denmark ranks 10th out of 221 countries with data for 2025.
- Is official entrance age to upper secondary education rising or falling in Denmark?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Denmark data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Official entrance age to upper secondary education (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release