Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Denmark

Denmark: Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents was 20.5% in 2020. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2020)
20.5%
World rank
68th
of 180 countries
All-time high
22.9%
in 1965
All-time low
0.0%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Denmark, 1950–2020

05101520251950198520201950: 0 %1955: 0 %1960: 22.6 %1965: 22.9 %1970: 22.6 %1975: 20.5 %1980: 0 %1985: 0 %1990: 0 %1995: 0 %2000: 0 %2005: 0 %2010: 18.8 %2015: 19.6 %2020: 20.5 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Denmark is 20.5%, measured in 2020.

That represents a change of up 9.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Denmark peaked at 22.9% in 1965 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1950.

That places Denmark 68th out of 180 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1960s 22.8% 22.6% 22.9% 2
1970s 21.6% 20.5% 22.6% 2
1980s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1990s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
2000s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
2010s 19.2% 18.8% 19.6% 2
2020s 20.5% 20.5% 20.5% 1

Countries ranked near Denmark

  1. 65 New Zealand 21.4% compare
  2. 66 Belarus 21.1% compare
  3. 67 Cote d'Ivoire 21.0% compare
  4. 69 Nigeria 20.4% compare
  5. 70 United States 20.4% compare
  6. 71 Tunisia 20.2% compare

See the full ranking of 180 places →

More reference data data for Denmark

All data for Denmark →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Denmark?
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Denmark was 20.5% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Denmark?
The highest recorded value was 22.9% in 1965.
What is the lowest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Denmark?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1950.
How does Denmark rank for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
Denmark ranks 68th out of 180 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents rising or falling in Denmark?
Over the last ten years it is up 9.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Denmark data come from?
The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
180 places, 2,505 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Percentage of the total population living in cities with 1 million or more people. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.