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Referendums

What is the voter turnout at referendums in Denmark? How many are eligible to vote? In connection with referendums, Statistics Denmark is tasked with collecting and tallying votes for the entire country.

Selected statistics on Referendums

This page shows selected popular statistics on the subject of Referendums. In Statbank Denmark, you can find more data and compile your own statistics.

Development in voter turnout

Here you can see the development in the proportion of the population who have voted in referendums. See what the referendums were about in each of the years concerned under ‘About the statistics’ – ‘Subjects of referendums throughout the years’ below on this page.
More about the figure
Last update
12.6.2023
Source data

The municipalities are responsible for organising an elections and adding the results. Results are disseminated electronically to Statistics Denmark via the IT company KMD. On election night Statistics Denmark also gets results by telephone.

Development in number of voters

Here you can see the development in the number of people eligible to vote in referendums.
More about the figure
Last update
13.6.2023
Source data

The municipalities are responsible for organising an elections and adding the results. Results are disseminated electronically to Statistics Denmark via the IT company KMD. On election night Statistics Denmark also gets results by telephone.

Development in percentage of advance votes and invalid votes

Here you can see how big a proportion of the votes cast in referendums that were advance votes or invalid votes.
More about the figure
Last update
12.6.2023
Source data

The municipalities are responsible for organising an elections and adding the results. Results are disseminated electronically to Statistics Denmark via the IT company KMD. On election night Statistics Denmark also gets results by telephone.

On the statistics – documentation, sources and method

Gain an overview of the purpose, contents and quality of the statistics. Learn about the data sources of the statistics, the contents of the statistics and how often they are published.

See the documentation of statistics to learn more:

National Elections in Denmark

Statistics Denmark have overtaken the responsibility for making statistics on national elections from the Ministry of Interior in October 2008. It is Statistics Denmark, who make and announce all the official results regarding elections.

Subjects of referendums throughout the years

Below you can see when Denmark has held referendums and what subjects were put to vote:

Amendments to the constitution:
6 September 1920
23 May 1939
28 May 1953

Voting age:
28 May 1953 - change of voting age from 25 to 23 or 21 years
30 May 1961 - change of voting age from 23 to 21 years
24 June 1969 - change of voting age from 21 to 18 years
21 September 1971 - change of voting age from 21 to 20 years
19 September 1978 - change of voting age from 20 to 18 years

Other subjects:
25 June 1963 – acquisition of farms, act on state smallholdings, municipal option to buy land, nature conservation
2 October 1972 – accession to the EC
2 June 1992 – accession to the Treaty on European Union
18 May 1993 – accession to the Edinburgh Agreement and the Treaty of Maastricht
28 May 1998 – accession to the Treaty of Amsterdam
28 September 2000 – participation in the single currency
7 June 2009 – amendment of the law of succession
25 May 2014 – the Unified Patent Court
3 December 2015 – the judicial opt-out
1 June  2022 – the defence opt-out

Indicative referendums (i.e. Parliament is not bound by the result):
14 December 1916 – sale of the West Indian Islands
27 February 1986 – Denmark’s accession to the Single European Act

Need more data on Referendums?

You can go on searching on your own in Statbank Denmark. Find detailed figures, e.g. the number of votes disaggregated on voting options (results) and geographic areas.

Contact

Dorthe Larsen
Phone: +45 39 17 33 07
Annemette Lindhardt Olsen
Phone: +45 39 17 30 13