School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Denmark
Denmark: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) was 6.98 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
6.98 years
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
27th
of 218 countries
All-time high
7.1 years
in 2012
All-time low
5.9 years
in 2005
Years of data
23
2001–2024
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Denmark, 2001–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2024, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Denmark stood at 6.98 years.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and down 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Denmark peaked at 7.1 years in 2012 and was at its lowest, 5.9 years, in 2005.
That places Denmark 27th out of 218 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Denmark, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 5.98 years | — |
| 2002 | 6.1 years | +2.0% |
| 2004 | 6.01 years | -1.6% |
| 2005 | 5.9 years | -1.8% |
| 2006 | 5.96 years | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 5.99 years | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 5.97 years | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 5.99 years | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 6 years | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 7.07 years | +17.9% |
| 2012 | 7.1 years | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 7.09 years | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 7.07 years | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 7.06 years | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 7.07 years | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 7.05 years | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 7.05 years | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 7.03 years | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 7.02 years | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 7.01 years | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 7 years | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 6.98 years | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 6.98 years | -0.1% |
Denmark compared with similar countries
- Denmark's 6.98 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 5.86 years, 1.2× the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Denmark's 6.98 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 5.14 years, 1.4× the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5.99 years | 5.9 years | 6.1 years | 8 |
| 2010s | 6.96 years | 6 years | 7.1 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 7 years | 6.98 years | 7.02 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near Denmark
- 24 Guinea-Bissau 7.13 years compare
- 25 South Africa 7.12 years compare
- 26 Democratic Republic of Congo 7.06 years compare
- 28 Morocco 6.98 years compare
- 29 Vanuatu 6.97 years compare
- 30 Australia 6.96 years compare
More education data for Denmark
- 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)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0723 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Denmark?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Denmark was 6.98 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Denmark?
- The highest recorded value was 7.1 years in 2012.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Denmark?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.9 years in 2005.
- How does Denmark rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- Denmark ranks 27th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in Denmark?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.4%. 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 School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release