Share of students from abroad in Denmark
Denmark: Share of students from abroad was 9.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of students from abroad in Denmark, 1999–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of students from abroad in Denmark is 9.9%, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of students from abroad in Denmark peaked at 10.8% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 2.8%, in 2008.
That places Denmark 47th out of 134 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Share of students from abroad in Denmark, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 6.5% | — |
| 2000 | 6.8% | +4.9% |
| 2001 | 6.5% | -4.0% |
| 2002 | 7.4% | +12.9% |
| 2003 | 9.0% | +21.7% |
| 2004 | 4.6% | -49.3% |
| 2005 | 4.4% | -3.0% |
| 2006 | 5.3% | +20.6% |
| 2007 | 5.5% | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 2.8% | -49.3% |
| 2009 | 5.4% | +93.7% |
| 2010 | 7.5% | +40.5% |
| 2011 | 7.8% | +3.8% |
| 2012 | 8.1% | +4.0% |
| 2013 | 10.1% | +24.5% |
| 2014 | 9.9% | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 10.3% | +3.5% |
| 2016 | 10.8% | +5.1% |
| 2017 | 10.8% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 10.7% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 10.5% | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 10.2% | -2.5% |
| 2021 | 10.0% | -2.4% |
| 2022 | 10.1% | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 9.9% | -1.9% |
| 2024 | 9.9% | -0.6% |
Denmark compared with similar countries
- Denmark's 9.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 10.6%, 93% of the median. (60 countries reporting)
- Denmark's 9.9% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 9.9%, 100% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of students from abroad in Denmark changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | +93.7% | 2.8% | 5.4% |
| 2004 | -49.3% | 9.0% | 4.6% |
| 2008 | -49.3% | 5.5% | 2.8% |
| 2010 | +40.5% | 5.4% | 7.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.5% | 6.5% | 6.5% | 1 |
| 2000s | 5.8% | 2.8% | 9.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.7% | 7.5% | 10.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.0% | 9.9% | 10.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Denmark
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 share of students from abroad in Denmark?
- Share of students from abroad in Denmark was 9.9% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of students from abroad recorded in Denmark?
- The highest recorded value was 10.8% in 2016.
- What is the lowest share of students from abroad recorded in Denmark?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.8% in 2008.
- How does Denmark rank for share of students from abroad?
- Denmark ranks 47th out of 134 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of students from abroad rising or falling in Denmark?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.5%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of students from abroad. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
International students as a share of the country's overall tertiary enrollment. International students are those who move from their home countries for education, identified based on their past education, residence, or distinct immigration regulations.