Fertility treatment in Denmark now accounts for more than one in seven children born in the country, according to new figures reported by the Danish Health Data Authority (Sundhedsdatastyrelsen). In 2025, 8,782 children were born after fertility treatment, out of 59,443 births recorded by Statistics Denmark (Danmarks Statistik), bringing the share to 14.8 percent.
Fertility treatment in Denmark reaches a new high
The Danish figures point to a steady increase in the role of assisted reproduction in the country’s birth rate. Ten years earlier, in 2015, 6,315 children were born after fertility treatment, equal to 10.8 percent of all births.
The increase means that assisted reproduction has moved from being a relatively exceptional medical pathway to becoming a structural part of Denmark’s demographic picture. The change is particularly relevant in a country where the fertility rate remains below the level needed for generational replacement, and where many people have children later than previous generations.
Anja Pinborg, professor and chief physician at the Fertility Clinic at Rigshospitalet, told DR that the figures show how much fertility treatment contributes to the Danish birth rate. She linked the rise to improved access to treatment in recent years and to broader political decisions that have expanded what the public health system can offer.
Expanded access has made assisted reproduction more common
Denmark has gradually widened access to publicly supported fertility treatment. In 2024, the number of treatment attempts available through the public system was increased from three to six. In 2025, access was further expanded to make it possible to receive help for a second child.
These changes help explain why the number of children born after treatment has continued to rise. They also reflect a broader Nordic welfare approach in which reproductive health is treated not only as a private issue, but also as part of public health policy and family policy.
The Danish case is significant because the country already has one of Europe’s most developed fertility treatment systems, with both public and private providers. The new figures suggest that policy design, access rules and medical capacity can have a measurable impact on how many families are able to have children through assisted reproduction.
Donor eggs show the pressure of later parenthood
The figures also show a sharp increase in births following treatment with donor eggs. In 2015, 97 children were born in Denmark with the help of a donor egg. In 2025, the number had risen to 812.
Pinborg told DR that this increase suggests many couples begin fertility treatment too late. She said people who want children should understand that they may need to start treatment no later than their early thirties if the number of births after assisted reproduction is to keep rising in the coming years.
The growth in donor egg treatment highlights one of the central tensions in Denmark’s fertility debate. Medical technology has made parenthood possible for more people, but age still remains a major biological factor. Public policy can expand access and reduce financial barriers, but it cannot fully offset the effects of delayed family formation.
A normalised technology with demographic consequences
Denmark’s first child born through in vitro fertilisation, often referred to at the time as a “test-tube baby”, was born in 1983. More than four decades later, fertility treatment has become a normal part of the country’s healthcare landscape.
The new data show that assisted reproduction is no longer only a medical story. It is also a demographic and political one. In Denmark, where women have on average around 1.5 children, fertility treatment is increasingly part of the answer to how a welfare state supports family formation while facing low birth rates, later parenthood and changing expectations around work, care and personal life.
The trend is likely to remain central to Nordic and European debates on reproductive health. As more countries confront declining fertility rates, Denmark’s experience shows both the potential and the limits of expanding access to fertility treatment.
