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Fertility

What does fertility mean and what is the total fertility rate in Denmark? The statistics on fertility rates indicate the number of children born by 1,000 women in a given year. In this way, comparison of the figures between years is more reliable, as the number of births is evaluated against the number of women in the same age group.

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Annual number of live births per 1,000 women of reproductive age (ages 15-49).

Number of children that would be born alive to 1,000 women during the reproductive period of their lives (ages 15-49), if all 1,000 women lived to be 50 years old, and if at each age they experienced the given year's age-specific fertility rates.

Selected statistics on Fertility

This page shows selected popular statistics on the subject of Fertility. In Statbank Denmark, you can find more data and compile your own statistics.

Development in total fertility rate

Here you can see the development in the total fertility rate. The total fertility rate is the number of children that 1,000 women will have from the age of 15-49, if none of the women die before they reach the age of 50, and they give birth to just as many children as indicated by the year's fertility rates.
More about the figure
Last update
12.2.2024
Next update
12.2.2025
Source data

The primary source of the statistics is the Civil Registration System (CPR). The continuous updating of the Civil Registration System is thus the basis of the population statistics. The updating takes place in the individual municipalities as the municipal population changes because of births and deaths, migrations in and out of the municipality and changes in marital status for the citizens of the municipality. The Civil Registration System is a central system with a common database where all registrations are updated. The state makes the system available to the individual municipalities. The Danish Health Data Authority’s Birth Register and Cause of Death Register are the secondary sources providing data on births and deaths respectively.

Development in total fertility rate disaggregated by ancestry

Here you can see the development in the total fertility rate disaggregated by ancestry. The total fertility rate is the number of children that 1,000 women will have from the age of 15-49, if none of the women die before they reach the age of 50, and they give birth to just as many children as indicated by the year's fertility rates.
More about the figure
Last update
12.2.2024
Next update
12.2.2025
Source data

The primary source of the statistics is the Civil Registration System (CPR). The continuous updating of the Civil Registration System is thus the basis of the population statistics. The updating takes place in the individual municipalities as the municipal population changes because of births and deaths, migrations in and out of the municipality and changes in marital status for the citizens of the municipality. The Civil Registration System is a central system with a common database where all registrations are updated. The state makes the system available to the individual municipalities. The Danish Health Data Authority’s Birth Register and Cause of Death Register are the secondary sources providing data on births and deaths respectively.

Age-specific fertility rates

Here you can see the number of children that 1,000 women within each age category have had in the last calculated year.
More about the figure
Last update
12.2.2024
Next update
12.2.2025
Source data

The primary source of the statistics is the Civil Registration System (CPR). The continuous updating of the Civil Registration System is thus the basis of the population statistics. The updating takes place in the individual municipalities as the municipal population changes because of births and deaths, migrations in and out of the municipality and changes in marital status for the citizens of the municipality. The Civil Registration System is a central system with a common database where all registrations are updated. The state makes the system available to the individual municipalities. The Danish Health Data Authority’s Birth Register and Cause of Death Register are the secondary sources providing data on births and deaths respectively.

HAVE YOU SEEN?
Births
See the number of children born in Denmark each year and the age of the parents.

On the statistics – documentation, sources and method

Gain an overview of the purpose, contents and quality of the statistics. Learn about the data sources of the statistics, the contents of the statistics and how often they are published.

See the documentation of statistics to learn more:

The Population

The purpose of the population statistics is to focus on the size, composition and development of the population living in Denmark. The statistics create a basis for a number of analyses on demography and society and are used as a basis for planning tasks on a national, regional and municipal level. In their basic form, the statistics have been compiled since 1769 but have undergone a series of changes as society developed and legislation followed. Most of the present table series in Statbank Denmark comprise data from 2007 and forward, while a few of these go back further.

Need more data on Fertility?

You can search further in Statbank Denmark yourself. Find more detailed figures, e.g. about the fertility rates and total fertility rates disaggregated by municipalities.

Contact

Lisbeth Harbo
Phone: +45 39 17 32 94