Denmark - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Denmark. Composed of the Jutland Peninsula and a group of more than 400 islands (Danish Archipelago); controls Danish Straits (Skagerrak and Kattegat) linking Baltic and North Seas; about one-quarter of the population lives in greater Copenhagen. Mother's mean age at first birth is 29.8 years (2020 est.) (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 5 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Denmark
Location Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, on a peninsula north of Germany (Jutland); also includes several major islands (Sjaelland, Fyn, and Bornholm)
Geographic coordinates 56 00 N, 10 00 E
Map references Europe
Tarrain low and flat to gently rolling plains
Natural Resources petroleum, natural gas, fish, arable land, salt, limestone, chalk, stone, gravel and sand
Natural Hazards flooding is a threat in some areas of the country (e.g., parts of Jutland, along the southern coast of the island of Lolland) that are protected from the sea by a system of dikes
Irrigated Land 2,360 sq km (2020)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 141 km
Border Countries Germany 140 km; Canada 1.3 km
Coastline 7,314 km
Climate temperate; humid and overcast; mild, windy winters and cool summers
Area
Total Area
Land Area 42,434 sq km
Water Area 660 sq km
comparative Area slightly less than twice the size of Massachusetts; about two-thirds the size of West Virginia
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Contiguous zone 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone 200 nm
Continental shelf 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Elevations
Highest point Store Mollehoj 171 m
Lowest point Lammefjord -7 m
Mean elevation 34 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 63.4% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 58.9% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 0.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 4.4% (2018 est.)
Forest 12.9% (2018 est.)
Other 23.7% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

With excellent access to the North Sea, Skagerrak, Kattegat, and the Baltic Sea, population centers tend to be along coastal areas, particularly in Copenhagen and the eastern side of the country's mainland

People and Society

In Denmark, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Danish (includes Greenlandic (who are predominantly Inuit) and Faroese) 84.2%, Turkish 1.1%, other 14.7% (largest groups are Polish, Romanian, Syrian, Ukrainian, German, and Iraqi) (2023 est.)

Population
Pop growth rate 0.44% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 11.3 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 9.6 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 10.5% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 2.6 beds/1,000 population (2019)
Total fertility rate 1.77 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 0.86 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate NA
Est married women (ages 15-49) 59.6% (2023 est.)
Literacy
Education expenditures 6.4% of GDP (2020 est.)
Net Migration rate 2.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Danish | Dane(s)
Languages
Religions Evangelical Lutheran (official) 71.4%, Muslim 4.3%, other/none/unspecified (denominations include Roman Catholic, Jehovah's Witness, Serbian Orthodox Christian, Jewish, Baptist, Buddhist, Church of Jesus Christ, Pentecostal, and nondenominational Christian) 24.3% (2024 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 16.2% (male 496,793/female 471,018)
15-64 years 62.9% (male 1,903,315/female 1,856,615)
65 years and over 20.8% (2024 est.) (male 575,153/female 670,242)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 57.3
Youth dependency ratio 25.4
Elderly dependency ratio 31.9
Potential support ratio 3.1 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 42.2 years (2024 est.)
Male 41 years
Female 43.4 years
Urbanization
Urban population 88.5% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 0.54% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 1.381 million COPENHAGEN (capital) (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.07 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.86 male(s)/female
Total population 0.99 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 3 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 3.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 2.5 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 82.1 years (2024 est.)
Male 80.2 years
Female 84.1 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 100% of population
Improved: rural rural: 100% of population
Improved: total total: 100% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 0% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 0% of population
Unimproved: total total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 100% of population
Improved: rural rural: 100% of population
Improved: total total: 100% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 0% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 0% of population
Unimproved: total total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 9.16 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 3.42 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 4.08 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 1.66 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 17.5% (2020 est.)
Male 17.8% (2020 est.)
Female 17.1% (2020 est.)
Child marriage
Women married by age 18 0.7% (2021 est.)
Demographic profile

Modern immigration to Denmark began in the 1960s and 1970s, although immigration, primarily from the Nordic countries and Western Europe, has earlier roots.  Dutch migrants came in the 16th century and Germans in the 18th, in both cases to work in agriculture.  Between the late 19th century and World War I, Denmark absorbed unskilled Polish, German, and Swedish labor migrants in significant numbers, sometimes at the request of the Danish Government.  Between the two World Wars, Denmark received many Eastern European, Jewish, and German migrants. It wasn’t until after World War II, that refugees began seeking sanctuary in Demark, including a large number of German refugees and later Hungarians, Czechs, and Polish Jews.  Denmark also imported foreign labor during the 1960s, mainly from Turkey, the former Yugoslavia, and Pakistan.  Although the “guest worker” program was halted in 1973, immigrants continued to arrive to be reunited with family members who were already in Denmark as refugees or as guest workers. Non-European refugees came from Chile, Uganda, and Vietnam.  In the 1990s, Denmark began receiving migrants and refugees from new places, including Russia, Hungary, Bosnia, Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon.  Despite raising more restrictions on immigration, in the 2000s, Denmark continued to receive asylum seekers, particularly from Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, and the former Yugoslavia, as well as labor migrants from new EU member states. 

In more recent years, Denmark has severely limited its refugee intake, aiming to accept as few refugees outside of the UN resettlement program as possible.  In the mid-2010s, Denmark passed legislation enabling it to withdraw temporary protective status as soon as conditions in the home country, as determined by Denmark, have improved.  This policy has lead Denmark, to deem Damascus and other areas in Syria safe for return, making it the only country in Europe to do so.  Consequently, some Syrian refugees have had their residency status revoked, and they are detained in deportation centers because Denmark does not have diplomatic relations with Syria and, therefore, cannot send them back.  Copenhagen hopes its stricter policies will discourage asylum seekers, particularly those from non-Western countries.

All Important Facts about Denmark

Want to know more about Denmark? Check all different factbooks for Denmark below.

Denmark is found in Northern Europe