Skip to content

Childcare

What is the staff-to-child ratio in Danish day nurseries and kindergartens, and how has it developed over time? Statistics Denmark compiles data for children and staff in day-care facilities and after-school facilities. An aggregation is also made of institutions in these fields, a census is made of recipients of grants for private day-care and day-care of own children, and an overview is provided of municipal rates.

Selected statistics on Childcare

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

Average staff-to-child ratio in day nurseries

Here you can see the development in the average staff-to-child ratio for day nurseries (children aged 0-2 years) by region.
More about the figure
Last update
30.10.2024
Next update
24.9.2025
Source data

Data for the statistics comes from several different sources, but can be divided into 3 types; data on registered children, data on employed staff, and data on day care facilities.

Both data on registered children and day care centers come from the municipal place guidance systems.

Information about staff comes from a number of sources, all of which relate to the payment of wages. Information on municipal staff is reported via the Municipalities and Regions Payroll Data Office, which also reports data on staff in the self-governing institutions and pool scheme institutions whose salaries are paid through the Municipalities and Regions Payroll Data Office. For the independent institutions and pool scheme institutions, the source is their salary supplier or the institutions themselves.

In order to be able to correct for maternity-related leave, data from Arbejdsmarkedets Tillægspension (ATP) is used on the payment of benefits linked to maternity leave.

In addition, Statistics Denmark's own registers of education are also used: Elevregisteret, Kvalifikationsregisteret as well as Register over højest fuldførte uddannelse.

Average staff-to-child ratio in kindergartens

Here you can see the development in average staff-to-child ratio for kindergartens (children aged 3-5 years) by region.
More about the figure
Last update
30.10.2024
Next update
24.9.2025
Source data

Data for the statistics comes from several different sources, but can be divided into 3 types; data on registered children, data on employed staff, and data on day care facilities.

Both data on registered children and day care centers come from the municipal place guidance systems.

Information about staff comes from a number of sources, all of which relate to the payment of wages. Information on municipal staff is reported via the Municipalities and Regions Payroll Data Office, which also reports data on staff in the self-governing institutions and pool scheme institutions whose salaries are paid through the Municipalities and Regions Payroll Data Office. For the independent institutions and pool scheme institutions, the source is their salary supplier or the institutions themselves.

In order to be able to correct for maternity-related leave, data from Arbejdsmarkedets Tillægspension (ATP) is used on the payment of benefits linked to maternity leave.

In addition, Statistics Denmark's own registers of education are also used: Elevregisteret, Kvalifikationsregisteret as well as Register over højest fuldførte uddannelse.

Number of children in day nursery and family day care

Here you can see the development in the distribution of children in municipal and self-governing day nurseries (0-2 years) and in family day care.
More about the figure
Last update
30.10.2024
Next update
24.9.2025
Source data

Data for the statistics comes from several different sources, but can be divided into 3 types; data on registered children, data on employed staff, and data on day care facilities.

Both data on registered children and day care centers come from the municipal place guidance systems.

Information about staff comes from a number of sources, all of which relate to the payment of wages. Information on municipal staff is reported via the Municipalities and Regions Payroll Data Office, which also reports data on staff in the self-governing institutions and pool scheme institutions whose salaries are paid through the Municipalities and Regions Payroll Data Office. For the independent institutions and pool scheme institutions, the source is their salary supplier or the institutions themselves.

In order to be able to correct for maternity-related leave, data from Arbejdsmarkedets Tillægspension (ATP) is used on the payment of benefits linked to maternity leave.

In addition, Statistics Denmark's own registers of education are also used: Elevregisteret, Kvalifikationsregisteret as well as Register over højest fuldførte uddannelse.

Breakdown of staff in day nurseries and kindergartens

Here you can see the composition of the early childhood education staff of kindergartens and day nurseries in terms of different job titles.
More about the figure
Last update
30.10.2024
Next update
24.9.2025
Source data

Data for the statistics comes from several different sources, but can be divided into 3 types; data on registered children, data on employed staff, and data on day care facilities.

Both data on registered children and day care centers come from the municipal place guidance systems.

Information about staff comes from a number of sources, all of which relate to the payment of wages. Information on municipal staff is reported via the Municipalities and Regions Payroll Data Office, which also reports data on staff in the self-governing institutions and pool scheme institutions whose salaries are paid through the Municipalities and Regions Payroll Data Office. For the independent institutions and pool scheme institutions, the source is their salary supplier or the institutions themselves.

In order to be able to correct for maternity-related leave, data from Arbejdsmarkedets Tillægspension (ATP) is used on the payment of benefits linked to maternity leave.

In addition, Statistics Denmark's own registers of education are also used: Elevregisteret, Kvalifikationsregisteret as well as Register over højest fuldførte uddannelse.

Development in staff of day nurseries and kindergartens

Here you can see the development in the number of people employed with various job titles in kindergartens and day nurseries since 2019.
More about the figure
Last update
30.10.2024
Next update
24.9.2025
Source data

Data for the statistics comes from several different sources, but can be divided into 3 types; data on registered children, data on employed staff, and data on day care facilities.

Both data on registered children and day care centers come from the municipal place guidance systems.

Information about staff comes from a number of sources, all of which relate to the payment of wages. Information on municipal staff is reported via the Municipalities and Regions Payroll Data Office, which also reports data on staff in the self-governing institutions and pool scheme institutions whose salaries are paid through the Municipalities and Regions Payroll Data Office. For the independent institutions and pool scheme institutions, the source is their salary supplier or the institutions themselves.

In order to be able to correct for maternity-related leave, data from Arbejdsmarkedets Tillægspension (ATP) is used on the payment of benefits linked to maternity leave.

In addition, Statistics Denmark's own registers of education are also used: Elevregisteret, Kvalifikationsregisteret as well as Register over højest fuldførte uddannelse.

Children enrolled in school-based leisure time facilities

Here you can see how many children are enrolled in a school-based leisure time facility, broken down by age.
More about the figure
Last update
4.10.2024
Next update
17.6.2025
Source data

Information on enrolled children is obtained from registration in municipalities which are send to IT-suppliers. The IT suppliers are KMD, IST, ASSEMBLE and in Læsø, data is collected directly from the municipality. Data on employees are obtained through payroll systems. The suppliers for private and some independent institutions are FOBU, BØRNERINGEN, SPIA, Læsø, ACCOUNTOR, LDD, FDDB. For municipal and some self-governing institutions data are collected from the municipalities 'and regions' payroll office (KRL).

Development in private day-care and day-care of own children

Here you can see how use of the schemes for ‘private day-care' and 'day-care of own children' has developed since 2017.
More about the figure
Last update
16.4.2024
Next update
12.3.2025
Source data

Data is collected on forms filled in by the municipalities.

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:

Child care in private kindergartens before school start

The following statistics show the number of enrolled children and the number of employed personnel in private daycare institutions. Children and personnel are assessed as full-time equivalent. The statistics are published for the first time in the year 2022.

Childcare after school start

The statistics illustrate the number of children in childcare for schoolchildren and the number of employees with pedagogical assignments. The subject of childcare used to cover the entire childcare area for children from the age of 0-18 years, which from 2015 has been divided into childcare pre-school for children (0-5 years) and childcare school for children (6 - to 18 years). The purpose of this statistics is to shed light on childcare for schoolchildren.

Childcare before school start

The statistics illustrates the number of children in childcare preschool, the number of employees with pedagogical assignments and the ratio between children and employees in childcare facilities. The purpose is to illustrate the trends in childcare. The statistics have been published since 1943, while the ratio between children and employees was first published in 2015. The ratio between children and employees does not show the direct time the staff spend with children - also known as "face-to-face" time. The inventory is an estimate of resource allocation to the childcare area.

Childcare institutions

These statistics cover the number of childcare institutions and units in Denmark, for children from 0 through 17. Before 2015 these figures were part of the overall childcare statistics.

Recipients of subsidy for private day-care

The statistics illustrates the number of children and the number of families receiving subsidies for private day-care or for care of their own children. These statistics are comparable from 2004 and onwards.

Need more data on Childcare?

You can go on searching on your own in Statbank Denmark. Find detailed figures, for example breakdown by municipalities, overview of municipal rates and breakdown by education of early childhood education staff.

Contact

Jens Bjerre
Phone: +45 29 16 99 21
Annemarie Schriver
Phone: +45 40 18 43 54