Dementia in Denmark

The exact prevalence of dementia in among older Danes is unknown. Approximately 3.3 % of the elderly population is diagnosed with dementia according to national health registers but according to epidemiological studies the number of dementia cases may be substantially higher.
People

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 Danish National Prescription Registry

According to the Government Agency for Health Data the number of older Danes (aged 65+) registered with a diagnosis of dementia increased from approx. 29,600 cases in 2010 to 38,725 cases in 2018 followed by a stabilization around 38,660 cases until 2022.

Not everyone with dementia is, however, registered in the national registers. Based on European studies on dementia prevalence it can be estimated that approximately 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 is expected to pick up a slow increase over the next decades. A projection model based on data from national registers yields an estimate of almost 50,000 registered cases of dementia in 2030. Women have a longer life expectancy than men and a little more than 60% of the registered dementia cases are women.

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