Number of students in upper secondary education in Denmark 2013-2023

The number of upper secondary students in Denmark amounted to roughly 141,000 students in 2023, which was the lowest numbers during the past 10 years. From 2013, the number of students in upper secondary education increased from around 145,000 to over 150,000 in 2017. In Denmark, upper secondary education is divided into general upper secondary programs, which primarily prepare for higher education, and vocational upper secondary education and training programs, focusing on careers in a specific trade or industry.

Higher education

A similar pattern could be observed regarding the number of students in higher education, which increased rapidly up until 2014, before flattening since. When taking the whole population into consideration, the highest completed education for nearly one in four Danes was primary education, which is 10 years of compulsory education in Denmark.

Higher education in Scandinavia

In Denmark, universities are by far the most popular institutions when undertaking a higher education, and in 2022, the number of registered university students amounted to around 144,000 students. Considering the rest of Scandinavia, the number of registered students grew overall during the past decade in Sweden, while the number of students in higher education in Norway grew continuously.