Since 2020, the EASIE data collection has taken place annually. Before 2020, it took place every two years. The default view below is the most recent school year available.

The data is presented in tables, focusing on different aspects of inclusive education. Unless stated otherwise in the notes, the data displayed is from the selected school year.

Click on the icon in the data tables to open a pop-up window containing the data sources and notes.

The Country Report presents the indicator tables, which are generated from the data in the data tables. The HTML versions of the Country Reports on the webpage are accessible; the PDF downloads are automatically generated and may not be fully accessible. To view the Country Report, click the 'View Country Report' button below.

In all tables, where data is not displayed, the following reasons have been given: ‘M’ for missing data, ‘NA’ where data is not applicable, and ‘NC’ where indicators cannot be calculated.

The ‘Background Information’ questionnaires are completed to give context to the data in the data tables. You can download the background information for the 2012/2013 and 2014/2015 dataset as a PDF. For all other datasets, use the drop-down menu below.

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2021/2022 Data:

Question ISCED 02 ISCED 1 ISCED 2 ISCED 3
Boys: Girls: Total: Boys: Girls: Total: Boys: Girls: Total: Boys: Girls: Total:
1.1 Actual population of children/learners in the typical ISCED age ranges
96,085
90,888
186,973
1.1
224,618
213,142
437,760
1.2
139,770
133,101
272,871
1.3
NA
NA
NA
1.4
1.2 All children/learners enrolled in any form of recognised education
79,174
73,848
153,022
2.1
184,828
171,550
356,378
2.2
89,632
80,501
170,133
2.3
134,560
124,954
259,514
2.4
1.3 All children/learners enrolled in mainstream (pre-)schools
79,174
73,848
153,022
3.1
178,441
169,578
348,019
3.2
85,161
78,453
163,614
3.3
134,560
124,954
259,514
3.4
1.3a All children/learners educated with their peers in mainstream groups/classes for 80% or more of the time
79,174
73,848
153,022
4.1
170,158
166,954
337,112
4.2
79,493
76,018
155,511
4.3
134,560
124,954
259,514
4.4
1.3b All children/learners educated in separate groups/classes, spending less than 80% of the time with their peers in mainstream groups/classes
NA
NA
NA
5.1
8,283
2,624
10,907
5.2
5,668
2,435
8,103
5.3
NA
NA
NA
5.4
1.4 All children/learners educated outside of mainstream (pre-)schools
NA
NA
NA
6.1
6,387
1,972
8,359
6.2
4,471
2,048
6,519
6.3
NA
NA
NA
6.4
1.4a All children/learners educated in separate special (pre-)schools or units organised by the ministry of education
NA
NA
NA
7.1
6,387
1,972
8,359
7.2
4,471
2,048
6,519
7.3
NA
NA
NA
7.4
1.4b All children/learners educated in separate special (pre-)schools or units organised by other sectors/ministries
NA
NA
NA
8.1
NA
NA
NA
8.2
NA
NA
NA
8.3
NA
NA
NA
8.4
1.4c All children/learners educated in other recognised forms of alternative education
NA
NA
NA
9.1
NA
NA
NA
9.2
NA
NA
NA
9.3
NA
NA
NA
9.4
1.4d All children/learners educated in recognised forms of home schooling
M
M
M
M
M
M
M
M
M
M
M
M
1.5 All children/learners who should, by law, be in some form of recognised education, but who are out of any form of recognised education.
M
M
M
M
M
M
M
M
M
M
M
M
Question ISCED 02 ISCED 1 ISCED 2 ISCED 3
Boys: Girls: Total: Boys: Girls: Total: Boys: Girls: Total: Boys: Girls: Total:
2.1 Actual population of children/learners with an official decision of SEN in the typical ISCED age ranges
NA
NA
NA
1.1
17,767
5,848
23,615
1.2
11,590
5,303
16,893
1.3
NA
NA
NA
1.4
2.2 All children/learners with an official decision of SEN in any recognised form of education
NA
NA
NA
2.1
16,228
5,170
21,398
2.2
10,833
4,837
15,670
2.3
NA
NA
NA
2.4
2.3 All children/learners with an official decision of SEN educated in mainstream (pre-)schools
NA
NA
NA
3.1
9,841
3,198
13,039
3.2
6,362
2,789
9,151
3.3
NA
NA
NA
3.4
2.3a All children/learners with an official decision of SEN educated with their peers in mainstream groups/classes for 80% or more of the time
NA
NA
NA
4.1
1,558
574
2,132
4.2
693
354
1,047
4.3
NA
NA
NA
4.4
2.3b All children/learners with an official decision of SEN educated in separate groups/classes, spending less than 80% of the time with their peers in mainstream groups/classes
NA
NA
NA
5.1
8,283
2,624
10,907
5.2
5,668
2,435
8,103
5.3
NA
NA
NA
5.4
2.4 All children/learners with an official decision of SEN educated outside of mainstream (pre-)schools
NA
NA
NA
6.1
6,387
1,972
8,359
6.2
4,471
2,048
6,519
6.3
NA
NA
NA
6.4
2.4a All children/learners with an official decision of SEN educated in separate special (pre-)schools or units organised by the ministry of education
NA
NA
NA
7.1
6,387
1,972
8,359
7.2
4,471
2,048
6,519
7.3
NA
NA
NA
7.4
2.4b All children/learners with an official decision of SEN educated in separate special (pre-)schools or units organised by other sectors/ministries
NA
NA
NA
8.1
M
M
M
M
M
M
NA
NA
NA
8.4
2.4c All children/learners with an official decision of SEN educated in other recognised forms of alternative education
NA
NA
NA
9.1
M
M
M
M
M
M
NA
NA
NA
9.4
2.4d All children/learners with an official decision of SEN educated in recognised forms of home schooling
NA
NA
NA
10.1
M
M
M
M
M
M
NA
NA
NA
10.4
2.5 All children/learners with an official decision of SEN who should, by law, be in some form of recognised education, but who are out of any form of recognised education
NA
NA
NA
11.1
M
M
M
M
M
M
NA
NA
NA
11.4

Denmark - Country Background Information

Describing the forms of education in the country

The EASIE data collection covers all recognised forms of education at ISCED levels 02, 1, 2 and 3.

This means any type of education organised by or approved by any recognised educational provider in the public or private sector: municipality, local or regional educational provider from the public or private sector, working with/for ministries responsible for education and areas such as health, social, welfare, labour, justice, etc.

What is the compulsory education age range in the country?

In Denmark, there is a ten-year teaching obligation – age range 6–15. For further information see the diagram on the OECD websites.

What are the typical age ranges for the ISCED levels?

ISCED LEVEL 02 ISCED LEVEL 1 ISCED LEVEL 2 ISCED LEVEL 3
3-5 6-12 13-15 16-18
Is private sector education covered by the data provided for the country?
No
Is recognised public or private education organised by sectors other than education (i.e. health, social, welfare, labour, justice, etc.) in the data provided for the country?
No
Are there recognised forms of alternative education covered by the data provided for the country?
No
Are there recognised forms of home schooling covered by the data provided for the country?
No
Identifying an ‘inclusive setting’ in the country

In the EASIE data collection, an inclusive setting is operationally defined as:

A recognised form of education where the child/learner follows education in mainstream classes alongside their peers for the largest part – 80% or more – of the school week.

The 80% time placement benchmark clearly indicates that a child/learner is educated in a mainstream class for the majority of their school week. At the same time, it acknowledges possibilities for small group or one-to-one withdrawal for limited periods of time (i.e. 20% or one day a week).

Very few participating countries can provide exact data on children/learners spending 80% of their time in a mainstream group/class. However, all countries can apply one of three agreed proxies that provide an approximation to this benchmark:

  • Placement in a mainstream class implies over 80% or more
  • Data is available on the number of hours of support allocated to a child/learner
  • Placement in a mainstream class implies over 50% or more.
Are you able to provide actual data to verify the 80% placement benchmark?
No
If no, which proxy are you using
Placement in a mainstream class implies 80% or more
What an ‘official decision of SEN’ means in the country

In the EASIE data collection, the agreed operational definition is:

An official decision leads to a child/learner being recognised as eligible for additional educational support to meet their learning needs.

Countries may have different types of official decision, but for all official decisions:

  • There has been some form of educational assessment procedure involving different people. This procedure may involve the child/learner, parents, school-based team members, as well as professionals from multi-disciplinary teams from outside the child’s/learner’s (pre-)school.
  • There is some form of legal document (plan/programme, etc.) that describes the support the child/learner is eligible to receive, which is used as the basis for decision-making.
  • There is some form of regular review process of the child/learner’s needs, progress and support.
Please describe what an ‘official decision’ is in the country.

According to the ‘Folkeskole’ Act (primary and lower-secondary education):

Special needs education and special educational assistance as well as other forms of support are provided following a concrete assessment of the individual’s educational needs. Special needs education shall be given to children whose development requires special consideration or support and shall not be given alone on the basis of the student’s disabilities.

The school principal decides on needs for special education (Ministerial Decree on primary school special education and other special educational assistance - 'Bekendtgørelse om folkeskolens specialundervisning og anden specialpædagogisk bistand'). In this decision the principal should consider the pedagogical psychological assessment, perspectives from both parents and child and perspectives from other relevant professionals around the child. 

Referral to special needs education, which is delimited to teaching in special schools and special classes and support for at least 9 hours a week in a mainstream school class, takes place following pedagogical psychological counselling and in consultation with the learner and the parents.

What educational assessment procedures are carried out and who is involved?

According to the ‘Folkeskole’ Act (primary and lower-secondary education), a concrete assessment of the individual’s educational needs is carried out by a special pedagogical psychological counsellor outside the school.

What formal, regular review processes of a child/learner’s needs, progress and support are linked to an official decision?

According to the legislation, it must be decided at least once a year whether the special education and support in education must continue or must be changed.

What ‘out-of-education’ means in the country

Within the EASIE data collection, specific questions examine children/learners who are out of education. This means children/learners who should, by law, be in some form of recognised education, but who are out of any form of recognised education. A recognised form of education is any type of education organised by or approved by any recognised educational provider in the public or private sector.

Is there a formal definition of ‘out-of-education’ in the country?
No
Please describe any specific country issues you think are relevant for understanding the data you have provided

ISCED 02:
Data is only reported for children enrolled in daycare for the age group 3–5 years. Also, the data only covers children in public institutions. The reported number of children is the population on 1 September 2021. Since ISCED 02 in Denmark is not educational in nature, it is assumed that all children reported in Q1.2 are without special needs education – the numbers reported in Q1.3 and Q1.3a are therefore similar. Thus, the special needs concept is not applicable to the Danish ISCED 02 context.

ISCED 1 and 2:
Data is only reported on public schools, because data about special needs education in private schools is not always of the best quality and because it is sometimes not applicable. For instance, mainstream private schools (1,013) are usually not allowed to establish separate special group/classes unless they are given permissions under certain conditions.

Data for for ISCED 2 Q1.1 is reported for the age range 13–16 years, although the typical age range for ISCED 2 is noted as 13–15 in the background information. This is because data for ISCED 2 in all cases includes primary school 10th grade, which in Denmark is optional. Thus, 10th grade is not a part of the ten-year teaching obligation even though it by definition is a part of ISCED 2.

ISCED 3:
No number is reported for Q1.1, since this number is not meaningful to define for ISCED 3 in Denmark. The reported numbers include all forms of mainstream education under ISCED 34 and 35 (general upper-secondary and vocational upper-secondary). The numbers reported are based on the population on 30 September 2021. The concept of special needs education is not applicable to the ISCED 3 level in Denmark, and thus the numbers reported in Q1.3 and Q1.3a are the same as in Q1.2.

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