Share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education in Denmark
Denmark: Share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education was 81.0% in 2022. ▬ Flat
Share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education in Denmark, 2000–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Denmark recorded 81.0% for share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 8 years on record.
That represents a change of down 5.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education in Denmark peaked at 85.4% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 81.0%, in 2022.
That places Denmark 9th out of 59 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
Share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education in Denmark, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 82.1% | — |
| 2003 | 83.5% | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 84.0% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 84.8% | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 85.4% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 85.0% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 84.0% | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 81.0% | -3.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 83.6% | 82.1% | 84.8% | 4 |
| 2010s | 84.8% | 84.0% | 85.4% | 3 |
| 2020s | 81.0% | 81.0% | 81.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Denmark
- 6 Republic of Korea 85.3% compare
- 7 Hong Kong 82.5% compare
- 8 Canada 81.8% compare
- 10 United States of America 79.9% compare
- 11 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 79.9% compare
- 12 New Zealand 79.3% compare
More education data for Denmark
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 522,143 (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -0.9671 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 42,105 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate -1.56 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 253,132 (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate -1.03 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 269,011 (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate -0.9043 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 182,553 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 0.3264 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education in Denmark?
- Share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education in Denmark was 81.0% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education recorded in Denmark?
- The highest recorded value was 85.4% in 2012.
- What is the lowest share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education recorded in Denmark?
- The lowest recorded value was 81.0% in 2022.
- How does Denmark rank for share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education?
- Denmark ranks 9th out of 59 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education rising or falling in Denmark?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Denmark data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of students achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of students who achieve minimum reading proficiency by the end of lower secondary education. This data includes only students enrolled in school.