Dementia in Denmark

In Denmark dementia cases are registered in national health registers:

• The Danish Health Data Authority’s register for selected chronic diseases and severe mental disorders
• The National Patient Registry
• The Psychiatric Central Registry
• The Register of Pharmaceutical Sales

According to The Danish Health Data Authority, the number of older Danes (aged 65+) registered with a diagnosis of dementia increased from approx. 29,600 cases in 2010 to approx 38,000 cases in 2016 followed by a stabilization at approx. 38,600 cases until 2023.

Not everyone with dementia is, however, registered in the national registers. Based on European studies on dementia prevalence it can be estimated that close on 96,000 Danes in the age range 65 years of age or older may have dementia. Although these estimates may be inaccurate, they indicate that dementia is probably underdiagnosed.

Approx. 3,000 Danes younger than 65 years of age are registered with a diagnosis of dementia but the validity of the diagnosis in this age group is questionable. 

Due to a steady increase in average life expectancy and longevity, the number of Danes with dementia may increase over the next decades. Women have a longer life expectancy than men and a little more than 60% of the registered dementia cases are women.