While Danish politicians debate whether euthanasia would allow people to simply ask to die, well under 1 percent of adults have registered binding instructions for their own end-of-life care in the country’s official treatment-will system.
According to Sundhedsdatastyrelsen registry documentation, around 18,000 valid treatment wills were registered as of 31 December 2024, covering roughly 0.4 percent of the adult population. That number has increased markedly in recent years, yet it remains vanishingly small for a country debating whether to legalise physician-assisted death.
These treatment wills are legally binding in specified end-of-life situations. Any adult with a CPR number and MitID can log into borger.dk and complete a behandlingstestamente form, choosing whether to receive life-prolonging measures such as CPR, ventilator support or artificial nutrition in specific statutory situations. According to official guidance, the directive is binding on healthcare staff when, for example, death is imminent and treatment would only prolong life. The electronic system requires MitID, and paper forms are in Danish, which can make it harder for some internationals and undocumented migrants to use formal advance directives.
Most Danes die in institutions that default to life-prolonging treatment
The gap matters because the vast majority of Denmark’s deaths occur in hospitals, nursing homes or similar institutions, according to the Dødsårsagsregister. Without a registered directive or a clear hospital note, the default is to continue life-prolonging treatment. For internationals, the challenge is sharper. People without CPR or MitID cannot use the register, so they may have to rely on conversations with staff and relatives to have wishes documented.
Denmark does not currently allow active euthanasia. The legal framework is built around withdrawing or withholding life-prolonging treatment and strengthening palliative care. Regions devote significant funding to specialised palliative care, though advocates argue more investment is needed if euthanasia remains off the table.
New oversight rules complicate the picture
The government tightened death reporting in February 2024. A Ministry of Justice circular now requires all authorities to report any death where a person was detained or deprived of liberty to the Folketing Ombudsman within ten working days. The rule covers deaths in police custody, prisons and other forms of deprivation of liberty, including psychiatric and certain immigration detention.
Each reported case is subject to Ombudsman oversight and may prompt internal investigations by the responsible authority. It also raises an open question: if euthanasia were legalised and performed in a hospital for a patient under compulsory psychiatric treatment, would such deaths fall under these reporting rules?
The 2010 guidance on death investigations requires doctors to notify police when death is sudden and not medically foreseen, or may be linked to error, neglect or accident during treatment. Doctors must notify police if death is sudden, not foreseen by medical reasons, or possibly linked to error, neglect or accident during treatment. Adding physician-assisted death into this landscape would require clear lines between lawful assistance and criminal act, a distinction that other countries have found difficult to police.
The gap nobody is measuring
Public statistics do not break down treatment or living wills by origin or citizenship, and registry entries are linked to CPR numbers rather than nationality. Statistics Denmark reports that around 15 percent of residents in 2024 were born abroad, but there is no data on how many have end-of-life directives or how language barriers affect their decisions.
According to Eurostat mortality statistics, Denmark’s crude death rate sits at around 10 per 1,000 inhabitants, broadly comparable to Germany and slightly higher than the Netherlands. According to the Dutch regional euthanasia review committees, the Netherlands performed around 8,000 euthanasia procedures in 2023, roughly 5 percent of all deaths. If Denmark followed a similar path, the implications for a healthcare system already stretched on palliative funding would be significant.
What residents can do now
Residents with a CPR number and MitID can create a behandlingstestamente digitally via borger.dk. In specific statutory situations, it is legally binding on doctors. Those without digital access can discuss wishes with hospital staff and ask for a refusal of life-prolonging treatment to be recorded in their medical file. The Dødsårsagsregister offers phone support at 3311 8350, weekdays from nine to noon.
The political fight over euthanasia will continue. Meanwhile, only a very small share of adults have registered binding instructions for end-of-life care. For internationals navigating a system built on registers, digital IDs and Danish-language forms, the gap between rights on paper and practical access remains wide.
