Denmark in Figures 2015

• Denmark is a small country consisting mostly of islands and ocean. Every Dane has an average of 1.5 feet of shoreline to enjoy. The highest point is Møllehøj with an altitude of 171 meters, the largest lake is Arresø with an area of 40 km2, and the longest river is Gudenåen, stretching 176 km through Jutland which, by the way, accounts for 69 per cent of the country's total area.
• The number of Danes has increased over the past few years, totalling 5.7 million Danes as of January 1st 2015. The population growth is largely due to immigration rather than emigration, but also because the birth rate is greater than the death rate. By the way, Danes account for 0.8 per thousand of the world's population.
• The Danish population has also become older than 25 years ago. At that time, one in five persons was over 60 years of age; today it is one in four. More than 1,000 Danes alive today have celebrated their 100th birthday. The number of retired persons has increased to over 1 million.
• The agening of the population could be attributed to the fact that the life-style of the Danes regarding smoking, alcohol consumption, diet and exercise has changed during the last decades. In general, the Danes now live a healthier life. In 1980, half the Danes were smokers, and today, less than a fifth of the population smokes. Danes eat less fatty foods and drink less alcohol than 35 years ago.
• The car is the preferred means of transport. Travel in cars accounted for 85 per cent of the total transport in Denmark. Volkswagen was the most popular car brand in 2014, followed by Peugeot and Ford, measured in terms of newly registered vehicles.

Denmark in Figures is the English version of Danmark i tal.

See also Statistical Yearbook (published annually in June).