Danish kids rank highly for aerobic fitness

Country finished in sixth position in international comparison

Danish children are some of the fittest in the world, reveals an extensive study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
An international team of researchers analysed the 20-metre shuttle data, also known as the beep test, of 1.1 million kids aged 9 to 17 from 50 countries around the world.
The beep test is a standardised and commonly used field-based test of aerobic fitness levels of children and youth.
“If all the kids in the world were to line up for a race, the average Danish child would finish at the front of the pack, placed 6th out of 50,” said Grant Tomkinson, an associate professor of kinesiology at the UND College of Education & Human Development and senior author of the study.
“Kids who are aerobically fit tend to be healthy, and kids who are healthy are apt to be healthy adults. So studying aerobic fitness in the early years is very insightful to overall population health.”
Tanzania, Iceland, Estonia, Norway and Japan make up the top five in the rankings, while Mexico placed last.
The study also found that income inequality – the gap between rich and poor – is strongly correlated with aerobic fitness, suggesting that kids from countries with smaller income inequality have better fitness.



Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.


  • “It’s possible to lead even though you don’t fit the traditional leadership mold”

    “It’s possible to lead even though you don’t fit the traditional leadership mold”

    Describing herself as a “DEI poster child,” being queer, neurodivergent and an international in Denmark didn’t stop Laurence Paquette from climbing the infamous corporate ladder to become Marketing Vice President (VP) at Vestas. Arrived in 2006 from Quebec, Laurence Paquette unpacks the implications of exposing your true self at work, in a country that lets little leeway for individuality

  • Deal reached to bring more foreign workers to Denmark

    Deal reached to bring more foreign workers to Denmark

    Agreement between unions and employers allows more foreign workers in Denmark under lower salary requirements, with new ID card rules and oversight to prevent social dumping and ensure fair conditions.

  • New association helps international nurses and doctors Denmark

    New association helps international nurses and doctors Denmark

    Kadre Darman was founded this year to support foreign-trained healthcare professionals facing challenges with difficult authorisation processes, visa procedures, and language barriers, aiming to help them find jobs and contribute to Denmark’s healthcare system