Educational gap closed for young women with non-Western backgrounds in Denmark

The educational disparity between young women of non-Western descent and those with Danish origins has been eliminated, according to a recent analysis by the Economic Council of the Labour Movement (AE). The study, based on data from Statistics Denmark, reveals that nearly 82% of 25-year-old women with non-Western backgrounds in Denmark have completed a vocational or higher education.

This figure slightly surpasses the 81% completion rate among women of Danish origin. The analysis defines vocational and higher education broadly, encompassing both vocational training programs and university-level studies. "Aftercomers" refers to individuals born in Denmark to parents who are not Danish citizens and were born abroad.

While the educational gap has closed for young women, a difference remains across genders and between individuals with Danish and non-Western backgrounds when considering all 25-year-olds. However, this overall gap has substantially shrunk over the last 20 years. In 2025, 73% of 25-year-old aftercomers with non-Western backgrounds had completed or were pursuing such education, compared to 77.1% for their Danish counterparts.

Twenty years prior, in 2005, the proportion of aftercomers with non-Western backgrounds who had achieved a vocational or higher education stood at just 51.4%. This significant increase highlights a positive trend in educational attainment for this demographic group in Denmark.