Life in Denmark

More fathers in Denmark are taking paternity leave—but mothers still use the majority

Fathers in Denmark are continuing to take advantage of the country’s parental leave, but mothers still take the majority, indicating only gradual progress toward shared parenting after recent reforms.

Fathers in Denmark are taking more paternity leave (photo: Pixabay)

Tristan Fender

Apr 12, 2025

The proportion of Danish fathers taking paternity leave is on a slow but steady rise, new data shows.According to Danmarks Statistik, the share of fathers with the right to take paternal leave who actually made use of that right increased from 88% in 2022 to 89% in 2023.This slight uptick follows the parental leave reform […]

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Fathers in Denmark are taking more paternity leave (photo: Pixabay)

More fathers in Denmark are taking paternity leave—but mothers still use the majority

Fathers in Denmark are continuing to take advantage of the country’s parental leave, but mothers still take the majority, indicating only gradual progress toward shared parenting after recent reforms.
“I have a responsibility of portraying more than hygge, pastries and bikes”

Born and raised in Pennsylvania, USA, Derek Hartman moved to Denmark in 2017, to follow his partner – now husband – Mike Walsh. If they started uploading videos together online to depict their life in Denmark as a way to connect with their family abroad, now their YouTube channel accumulates a total of 15M views. Under the name Robe Trotting, Derek continues to humorously portray his life as an adopted Dane on several platforms, including with a Podcast called “What are you doing in Denmark?” (WAYDID Podcast)
Major agreement removes rules and money from public job placement

In a broad political agreement, the government and right-wing parties have decided to simplify the rules and cut bureaucracy. Time will tell whether it will be easier to be unemployed and find your way around the Danish job system.
Home values continue to rise as apartment prices reach new record

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Climate Minister apologizes and saves his political life

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The net migration of internationals from many countries is declining

Data analyst Kelly Rasmussen analyzes how internationals from different nationalities have varying retention rates in Denmark. Her calculations cover the last decades and show how people from wealthier democracies tend to leave more than others
“We need brave politicians who listen to internationals”

Asbjørn Overgaard, CEO of Copenhagen Capacity, comments on the 2024 immigration data and the trend of more and more internationals leaving the country. “We have done much over the last 15 years, and now we need to do more.”
Around 70% of internationals come here to work or study – And this is why retention is a problem

According to Danmarks Statistik, of the 83,216 who moved to Denmark in 2024, 54,614 people immigrated to either work or study. This means that low retention is a real problem.

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