School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in Denmark
Denmark: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) was 18.79 years in 2018. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Denmark, 1971–2018
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2018, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Denmark stood at 18.79 years.
The figure is down 0.5% on the previous year and up 12.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Denmark peaked at 19.24 years in 2015 and was at its lowest, 12.27 years, in 1971.
That places Denmark 9th out of 183 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 40 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in Denmark, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 12.27 years | — |
| 1978 | 13.33 years | +8.6% |
| 1979 | 13.18 years | -1.2% |
| 1980 | 13.39 years | +1.7% |
| 1981 | 13.47 years | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 13.49 years | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 13.59 years | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 13.56 years | -0.2% |
| 1985 | 13.56 years | -0.0% |
| 1986 | 13.67 years | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 13.78 years | +0.8% |
| 1988 | 13.88 years | +0.7% |
| 1989 | 13.95 years | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 14.06 years | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 14.2 years | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 14.28 years | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 14.6 years | +2.2% |
| 1994 | 14.92 years | +2.2% |
| 1995 | 15.12 years | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 15.37 years | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 15.74 years | +2.4% |
| 1999 | 16.45 years | +4.5% |
| 2000 | 16.23 years | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 16.58 years | +2.2% |
| 2002 | 16.32 years | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 16.63 years | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 16.88 years | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 16.72 years | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 16.82 years | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 16.75 years | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 16.79 years | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 16.94 years | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 18.42 years | +8.7% |
| 2012 | 18.68 years | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 19.14 years | +2.5% |
| 2014 | 19.14 years | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 19.24 years | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 19.07 years | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 18.89 years | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 18.79 years | -0.5% |
Denmark compared with similar countries
- Denmark's 18.79 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 16.13 years, 1.2× the median. (67 countries reporting)
- Denmark's 18.79 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 15.71 years, 1.2× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 12.93 years | 12.27 years | 13.33 years | 3 |
| 1980s | 13.63 years | 13.39 years | 13.95 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 14.97 years | 14.06 years | 16.45 years | 9 |
| 2000s | 16.64 years | 16.23 years | 16.88 years | 9 |
| 2010s | 18.7 years | 16.94 years | 19.24 years | 9 |
Countries ranked near Denmark
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 school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Denmark?
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Denmark was 18.79 years in 2018, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Denmark?
- The highest recorded value was 19.24 years in 2015.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Denmark?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.27 years in 1971.
- How does Denmark rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
- Denmark ranks 9th out of 183 countries with data for 2018.
- Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in Denmark?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Denmark data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Expected years of schooling is the number of years a child of school entrance age is expected to spend at school, or university, including years spent on repetition. It is the sum of the age-specific enrolment ratios for primary, secondary, post-secondary non-tertiary and tertiary education.