Antibiotic usage by surveillance category in Denmark

Denmark: Antibiotic usage by surveillance category was 13.38 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day in 2023. ▬ Flat

Latest (2023)
13.38 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day
Change on year
up 6.9%
World rank
20th
of 46 countries
All-time high
13.64 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day
in 2016
All-time low
11.66 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day
in 2020
Years of data
8
2016–2023

Antibiotic usage by surveillance category in Denmark, 2016–2023

0510152016201920232016: 13.6 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2017: 13 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2018: 12.5 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2019: 12.4 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2020: 11.7 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2021: 11.8 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2022: 12.5 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2023: 13.4 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day

Source: WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day.

Analysis

Denmark recorded 13.38 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day for antibiotic usage by surveillance category in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.9% on the previous year and down 1.9% over ten years.

Denmark ranks 20th of 46 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 12.9 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 12.4 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 13.64 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 4
2020s 12.35 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 11.66 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 13.38 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 4

Countries ranked near Denmark

  1. 17 Belgium 14.45 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day compare
  2. 19 Belarus 13.73 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day compare
  3. 21 Croatia 13.1 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day compare
  4. 22 Italy 12.82 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day compare
  5. 23 Lithuania 12.67 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day compare

See the full ranking of 46 places →

More reference data data for Denmark

All data for Denmark →

Frequently asked questions

What is antibiotic usage by surveillance category in Denmark?
Antibiotic usage by surveillance category in Denmark was 13.38 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day in 2023, according to WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest antibiotic usage by surveillance category recorded in Denmark?
The highest recorded value was 13.64 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day in 2016.
What is the lowest antibiotic usage by surveillance category recorded in Denmark?
The lowest recorded value was 11.66 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day in 2020.
How does Denmark rank for antibiotic usage by surveillance category?
Denmark ranks 20th out of 46 countries with data for 2023.
Is antibiotic usage by surveillance category rising or falling in Denmark?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Denmark data come from?
The figures come from WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Antibiotic usage by surveillance category. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Antibiotic usage by surveillance category
Unit
defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day
Source
WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
46 places, 344 data points, 2016–2023
Last refreshed

Total defined daily doses of AWaRe category: Access used per 1000 inhabitants per day. Access antibiotics have activity against a wide range of common pathogens and show lower resistance potential than antibiotics in the other groups.