Denmark’s Life Expectancy Rises But Lags Nordics

Ascar Ashleen

July 22, 2026
3:04 pm

Danish life expectancy has risen for three straight years after the pandemic dip, but Denmark still trails Norway and Sweden by roughly a year—and ranks near the bottom of wealthy Western nations.

Danes are living longer again. New figures from ATP show that remaining life expectancy for 67-year-olds climbed in 2025 for the third consecutive year. Women gained 1.2 months and men added 0.4 months compared to 2024. That marks a clear rebound from the mortality spike during COVID-19, when life expectancy fell in 2021 and 2022.

A 67-year-old Danish woman can now expect to reach 86.9 years. A man of the same age will likely live to 84.4. Over the past half century, Danish women have gained 4.4 years and men 5.1 years. Yet the recovery remains incomplete, and the long-term trend has slowed sharply.

Slower progress than a decade ago

The annual increase in life expectancy has averaged about one month over the past ten years. That is half the pace recorded in the decade before. Camilla Fredsgaard Larsen, chief actuary at ATP, says the pandemic tore a hole in Danish longevity. We are patching it, she notes, but we have not filled it completely yet.

Looking ahead, ATP projects that today’s 67-year-olds will ultimately live 1.9 years longer than current figures suggest. Women could reach 88.8 years and men 86.3. Those projections assume steady improvements in mortality rates, but recent history shows that assumption can be fragile.

Norway and Sweden pull ahead

The gap with our Nordic neighbors persists. Average life expectancy in Norway and Sweden runs about one year higher than in Denmark, across both sexes. That difference has held for more than three decades. Within the broader wealthy Western world, Denmark sits near the bottom of the table.

Larsen calls it a paradox. Denmark leads the world in prosperity but not in long lives. She traces the deficit back to the 1980s and 1990s, when Danish life expectancy barely moved. It grew by just 0.1 months per year from 1980 to 1995. Norway and Sweden kept adding years during the same period. We are still paying off that longevity debt.

Historic smoking habits explain much of the lag

Professors in public health have pointed to Denmark’s historically high rates of smoking and alcohol consumption, especially among women. Those habits triggered earlier onset of serious illness—cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic lung conditions—compared to peers in Switzerland, Spain, and other top-ranking countries. Danish women’s smoking patterns were atypical in Europe, both in prevalence and duration. That pulled down the national average for decades.

I have watched this play out in conversations about workplace wellness and preventive care. Denmark has world-class hospitals and universal health coverage, yet lifestyle choices from earlier generations cast a long shadow. The newest cohort of retirees includes people who smoked heavily in their youth. Their health outcomes reflect that history.

What rising life expectancy means for pensions

ATP focuses on remaining life expectancy at 67 because that figure directly shapes pension payouts. Longer lives mean more years of disbursements. A 40-year-old man today can expect to reach 87, and a 40-year-old woman 91. Newborns may live into their mid-90s if current trends hold. That puts pressure on retirement systems and reignites debates about when people should stop working, especially in physically demanding jobs.

Denmark has already tied its state pension age to longevity projections. The three-year upward streak in life expectancy will feed into those calculations. For expats contributing to Danish pension schemes, the message is clear: plan for a longer retirement, but also expect the goal posts to move.

Healthy years versus total years

Life expectancy tells only part of the story. Earlier research shows that Danes have roughly 67.9 healthy years out of an average lifespan of 78.9 years. That leaves a decade or more managing chronic illness or reduced mobility. Rising total longevity does not guarantee more active, independent years. It can also mean more time in care or treatment.

I have seen this tension up close. Friends in their seventies remain remarkably active, cycling and traveling. Others struggle with conditions rooted in decades of habits formed before Denmark’s public health campaigns gained traction. The quality of those extra months matters as much as the quantity.

Still playing catch-up in Europe

Denmark ranks around the European average in life expectancy but falls well below southern European leaders. Italians, Spaniards, and the French routinely outlive Danes by two years or more. Switzerland tops many league tables at over 84 years. Even within the Nordic club, Denmark lags.

Nordic Statistics reports that average life expectancy across the five Nordic countries hit 83.2 years in 2024. Denmark came in lowest at 82.3 years, while Sweden reached 84.1. Norway reported 83.2 years in 2025. The pattern is consistent and stubborn.

For expats, this gap raises practical questions. Denmark offers an excellent safety net and high living standards. Yet if you are planning your future here, factor in that the country’s health outcomes do not quite match its wealth. Prevention, early diagnosis, and lifestyle choices matter more than ever.

Three years up, but the baseline was low

The three-year rise is welcome news. It signals recovery from pandemic disruption and suggests that public health measures—smoking bans, alcohol policies, chronic disease management—are bearing fruit. But context is everything. Denmark started from a lower baseline than its peers. The rebound has been slower than in the decade before the 2010s, and the country remains behind on the European scoreboard.

Camilla Fredsgaard Larsen’s comment about filling the hole left by corona resonates. We are recovering, but not fast enough to close the gap with our neighbors. That should trouble policymakers and anyone planning a long life in Denmark.