Share of population living in urban areas in Denmark

Denmark: Share of population living in urban areas was 64.8% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
64.8%
World rank
163rd
of 236 countries
All-time high
64.8%
in 2020
All-time low
58.3%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in urban areas in Denmark, 1950–2020

02040601950198520201950: 58.3 %1955: 59.2 %1960: 59.8 %1965: 60.6 %1970: 61.3 %1975: 61.8 %1980: 61.1 %1985: 60.9 %1990: 60.9 %1995: 61.2 %2000: 61.8 %2005: 62.3 %2010: 63.2 %2015: 64.1 %2020: 64.8 %

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of population living in urban areas in Denmark is 64.8%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Denmark peaked at 64.8% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 58.3%, in 1950.

Denmark ranks 163rd of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 58.8% 58.3% 59.2% 2
1960s 60.2% 59.8% 60.6% 2
1970s 61.5% 61.3% 61.8% 2
1980s 61.0% 60.9% 61.1% 2
1990s 61.1% 60.9% 61.2% 2
2000s 62.1% 61.8% 62.3% 2
2010s 63.6% 63.2% 64.1% 2
2020s 64.8% 64.8% 64.8% 1

Countries ranked near Denmark

  1. 160 South Sudan 65.2% compare
  2. 161 Estonia 65.0% compare
  3. 162 Serbia 64.8% compare
  4. 164 Norway 64.5% compare
  5. 165 Nicaragua 64.4% compare
  6. 166 Malawi 64.4% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Denmark

All data for Denmark →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban areas in Denmark?
Share of population living in urban areas in Denmark was 64.8% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Denmark?
The highest recorded value was 64.8% in 2020.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Denmark?
The lowest recorded value was 58.3% in 1950.
How does Denmark rank for share of population living in urban areas?
Denmark ranks 163rd out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in Denmark?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Denmark data come from?
The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban areas. 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 urban areas
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.