Men live now on average more than 80 years—but there are significant differences.

Danish men are catching up with women—at least when it comes to average life expectancy.

Data from Statistics Denmark (https://www.dst.dk/da/Statistik/udgivelser/NytHtml?cid=52702) shows that the average life expectancy for men in Denmark has, for the first time, surpassed 80 years. Just 20 years ago, it was only 75 years.

While men have long had an average life expectancy five years shorter than women, that gap has now narrowed to 3.6 years.

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**Researcher: Significant differences**

The trend is welcomed by Svend Aage Madsen, who is the research leader at Rigshospitalet and chairman and co-founder of the Forum for Men’s Health.

"It’s wonderful that the average age of men is now over 80," he tells P1 Morning (https://www.dr.dk/lyd/p1/p1-morgen/p1-morgen-2026/fredag-13-februar-2026-11802633075/01:57:02).

But looking closer at the numbers reveals significant differences, says Svend Aage Madsen.

"If you examine different social and geographical groups, you’ll see that some of them are actually seeing their life expectancy decline," he states.

Generally, men with longer education live longer than their female counterparts with shorter or no education, he explains.

> "I don’t walk much. I play some bridge and watch a few good series."

>

> **Palle Birkholm, 84 years old**

In Lolland Municipality, men’s average life expectancy has fallen, while it has risen sharply in municipalities like Gentofte, Hørsholm, and Rudersdal.

"There’s a real need to intervene, especially for the 25 percent of men who lag far behind and whose life expectancy is actually declining," says Svend Aage Madsen.

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**84-year-old man doesn’t exercise and smoked like a chimney**

One of those pushing life expectancy upward is former high school teacher and hobby farmer Palle Birkholm, who turns 85 in March. He tells P1 Morning (https://www.dr.dk/lyd/p1/p1-morgen/p1-morgen-2026/fredag-13-februar-2026-11802633075/01:57:02) that he hasn’t done anything particularly special to live a long time.

"I’ve never exercised or anything like that. I ate whatever I felt like," he says.

He smoked like a chimney until he was 60, and his interests are fairly sedentary.

"I don’t walk much. I play some bridge and watch a few good series," he adds.

He wonders if his age might be due to good genes.

"Maybe there’s something to that," he says, mentioning his great-uncle who died at 102.

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**Nordic neighbors live longer on average**

According to Svend Aage Madsen, the differences in men’s life expectancy aren’t just due to lifestyle variations. It’s also about their access to the healthcare system.

"Where things really go wrong for men is when they get sick—they don’t get treated for their illness," he explains.

Even though life expectancy is improving for Danes overall, we still lag slightly behind our Nordic neighbors.

In Norway and Sweden, the average life expectancy for the entire population is over 83 years.

Listen to P1 Morning, where Palle Birkholm shares how it feels when friends and acquaintances pass away.

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