Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Denmark instead of United States, you would:
Health
live 3.4 years longer
In United States, the average life expectancy is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Denmark, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
be 65.0% less likely to be obese
In United States, 41.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Denmark, that number is 14.3% of people as of 2024.
have 22.2% more doctors per person
United States has 36.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Denmark has 45.0 as of 2021.
be 33.1% less likely to die by suicide
United States has a suicide rate of 15.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Denmark, it is 10.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 46.1% less spent on your healthcare
United States spends $13,473 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Denmark spends $7,262 as of 2024.
Economy
be 31.7% more likely to be unemployed
In United States, 4.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Denmark, that number is 5.5% as of 2025.
make 14.5% less money
United States has a GDP per capita of $90,027 as of 2025, while in Denmark, the GDP per capita is $76,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 76.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In United States, approximately 17.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Denmark, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 36.4% less likely to die during infancy
In United States, approximately 5.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Denmark, on the other hand, 3.5 children do as of 2024.
have 10.4% fewer children
In United States, there are approximately 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Denmark, there are 9.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 43.7% less on healthcare
United States spends 16.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Denmark, that number is 9.4% of GDP as of 2024.
spend 17.3% more on education
United States spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Denmark spends 6.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 63.3% less coastline
United States has a total of 19,924 km of coastline. In Denmark, that number is 7,314 km.
Safety
be 85.4% less likely to be murdered
United States has a homicide rate of 5.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Denmark, that number is 0.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 83.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In United States, road accidents kill 14.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Denmark, they kill 2.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 11.7% more home broadband
United States has 38.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Denmark has 43.4 as of 2024.
live with 10.3% less strain on fresh water
United States withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Denmark withdraws 25% as of 2022.
use 52.0% less electricity
United States uses 12,839 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Denmark uses 6,165 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 68.6% less CO2
United States emits 13.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Denmark emits 4.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: United States vs. Denmark
Denmark: At a glance
How big is Denmark compared to United States? See an in-depth size comparison.