Share of the population with lower secondary education in Denmark
Denmark: Share of the population with lower secondary education was 93.3% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of the population with lower secondary education in Denmark, 1991–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of the population with lower secondary education in Denmark is 93.3%, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 0.6% on the previous year and down 6.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with lower secondary education in Denmark peaked at 99.7% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 89.5%, in 2017.
Denmark ranks 31st of 135 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.
Share of the population with lower secondary education in Denmark, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 96.6% | — |
| 2003 | 99.7% | +3.3% |
| 2006 | 97.3% | -2.4% |
| 2007 | 99.4% | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 99.6% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 96.9% | -2.7% |
| 2010 | 96.4% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 96.9% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 99.6% | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 99.6% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 91.5% | -8.1% |
| 2015 | 92.1% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 92.4% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 89.5% | -3.2% |
| 2018 | 93.8% | +4.8% |
| 2019 | 90.9% | -3.1% |
| 2020 | 95.2% | +4.7% |
| 2021 | 92.3% | -3.0% |
| 2022 | 92.7% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 93.3% | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 96.6% | 96.6% | 96.6% | 1 |
| 2000s | 98.6% | 96.9% | 99.7% | 5 |
| 2010s | 94.3% | 89.5% | 99.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 93.4% | 92.3% | 95.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Denmark
More education data for Denmark
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) -2.5 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 28,282 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 13,823 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 168,047 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) -1.8 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 122,855 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) -3.43 % change on previous year (2024)
- Theoretical duration of primary education (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with lower secondary education in Denmark?
- Share of the population with lower secondary education in Denmark was 93.3% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with lower secondary education recorded in Denmark?
- The highest recorded value was 99.7% in 2003.
- What is the lowest share of the population with lower secondary education recorded in Denmark?
- The lowest recorded value was 89.5% in 2017.
- How does Denmark rank for share of the population with lower secondary education?
- Denmark ranks 31st out of 135 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of the population with lower secondary education rising or falling in Denmark?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 the population with lower secondary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of adults aged 25 and older who have completed lower secondary education or higher.