Duration of working life in Denmark

Denmark: Duration of working life was 42.6 Year in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
42.6 Year
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
6th
of 44 countries
All-time high
42.6 Year
in 2024
All-time low
38 Year
in 2001
Years of data
26
2000–2025

Duration of working life in Denmark, 2000–2025

0102030402000201220252000: 38.3 Year2001: 38 Year2002: 38.5 Year2003: 38.4 Year2004: 38.9 Year2005: 39 Year2006: 39.5 Year2007: 39.5 Year2008: 39.5 Year2009: 39.3 Year2010: 39 Year2011: 39 Year2012: 38.7 Year2013: 38.4 Year2014: 38.5 Year2015: 38.7 Year2016: 39 Year2017: 39.3 Year2018: 39.5 Year2019: 40.1 Year2020: 40 Year2021: 40.3 Year2022: 40.9 Year2023: 41.4 Year2024: 42.6 Year2025: 42.6 Year

Source: Eurostat. Measured in Year.

Analysis

The most recent figure for duration of working life in Denmark is 42.6 Year, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.

That represents a change of up 10.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, duration of working life in Denmark peaked at 42.6 Year in 2024 and was at its lowest, 38 Year, in 2001.

Denmark ranks 6th of 44 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.

Duration of working life in Denmark, year by year

Annual values for Duration of working life in Denmark, 2000 to 2025.
Year Year Change
2000 38.3 Year —
2001 38 Year -0.8%
2002 38.5 Year +1.3%
2003 38.4 Year -0.3%
2004 38.9 Year +1.3%
2005 39 Year +0.3%
2006 39.5 Year +1.3%
2007 39.5 Year +0.0%
2008 39.5 Year +0.0%
2009 39.3 Year -0.5%
2010 39 Year -0.8%
2011 39 Year +0.0%
2012 38.7 Year -0.8%
2013 38.4 Year -0.8%
2014 38.5 Year +0.3%
2015 38.7 Year +0.5%
2016 39 Year +0.8%
2017 39.3 Year +0.8%
2018 39.5 Year +0.5%
2019 40.1 Year +1.5%
2020 40 Year -0.2%
2021 40.3 Year +0.7%
2022 40.9 Year +1.5%
2023 41.4 Year +1.2%
2024 42.6 Year +2.9%
2025 42.6 Year +0.0%

Denmark compared with similar countries

  • Denmark's 42.6 Year is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 38.1 Year, 1.1× the median. (33 countries reporting)
  • Denmark's 42.6 Year is above the median for high income countries, which is 38.6 Year, 1.1× the median. (31 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 38.89 Year 38 Year 39.5 Year 10
2010s 39.02 Year 38.4 Year 40.1 Year 10
2020s 41.3 Year 40 Year 42.6 Year 6

Countries ranked near Denmark

  1. 4 Sweden 43.4 Year compare
  2. 5 Switzerland 42.8 Year compare
  3. 7 Estonia 41.5 Year compare
  4. 7 Estonia 41.5 Year compare
  5. 9 Norway 41.4 Year compare

See the full ranking of 46 places →

More reference data data for Denmark

All data for Denmark →

Frequently asked questions

What is duration of working life in Denmark?
Duration of working life in Denmark was 42.6 Year in 2025, according to Eurostat.
What is the highest duration of working life recorded in Denmark?
The highest recorded value was 42.6 Year in 2024.
What is the lowest duration of working life recorded in Denmark?
The lowest recorded value was 38 Year in 2001.
How does Denmark rank for duration of working life?
Denmark ranks 6th out of 44 countries with data for 2025.
Is duration of working life rising or falling in Denmark?
Over the last ten years it is up 10.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Denmark data come from?
The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Duration of working life. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Duration of working life in Denmark. Statizoid, drawing on Eurostat. Retrieved 25 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/duration-of-working-life/denmark/

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About this data

Indicator
Duration of working life
Unit
Year
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
46 places, 1,123 data points, 2000–2025
Last refreshed