dietary survey

Danish everyday choices under scrutiny in new Nordic study

Following the Nordic Council of Ministers’ launch of a new joint Nordic study on diet, physical activity, overweight, alcohol and nicotine use, DTU National Food Institute turns the spotlight on the Danish results. The findings show more sugary drinks and sweet foods, less fruit, vegetables and wholegrain – and a persistently high level of overweight and obesity among both children and adults.

 Photo: Colourbox

Thursday 04 December 2025

Dorte Egelund

Danes’ everyday choices are moving in a less healthy direction
DTU National Food Institute has led the work on the joint Nordic monitoring (NORMO) and played a central role in the Danish contribution to the study, which provides an overall picture of dietary habits, physical activity and health-related behaviours in the Nordic countries. The results are based on data from 2014 and 2024 and include both children (7–12 years) and adults (18–65 years).

The study documents that, over time, Danes’ everyday choices have shifted in a less healthy direction. Consumption of soft drinks, energy drinks and sweet foods has increased, while intake of fruit, vegetables and wholegrain has decreased. At the same time, there is a high level of overweight among adults and a marked increase among children.
 

Danish figures in focus

In Denmark, the same development is seen as in the other Nordic countries. Over ten years, consumption of soft drinks, energy drinks and other sugary drinks has increased, and cake, chocolate and sweets take up more space during the week, while the intake of fruit, vegetables and wholegrain bread has not increased correspondingly.

  • Sugary drinks (soft drinks, energy drinks, diet/sugar-free drinks and juice): Adults now drink sugary drinks about 6.5 times per week, compared with 4.6 times per week ten years ago. The increase is mainly due to higher consumption of energy drinks and diet/sugar-free drinks, while juice is consumed less frequently.
  • Sweet/sugar-rich foods (cake, biscuits, chocolate, sweets, etc.): Adults eat sweet/sugar-rich foods on average about 4.8 times per week, compared with 4.4 times per week ten years ago.
  • Fruit and vegetables: Adults eat fruit and vegetables about 2.1 times per day today, compared with 2.6 times per day ten years ago. Fruit intake has fallen from 1.4 to 0.9 times per day, while vegetable intake is stable at around 1.2 times per day in both survey years.
  • Wholegrain bread: Adults eat on average about 2.8 slices of wholegrain bread per day, compared with 3.3 slices ten years ago. Intake of wholegrain wheat bread has fallen from 1.1 to 0.7 slice per day, while rye bread is stable at around 1.8 slice per day.
  • Fish: Adults eat fish about 1.6 times per week today, compared with about 1.1 times per week ten years ago.
 

‘When we look at developments over ten years, sugar consumption has been allowed to slip a little under the radar. We talk a lot about wholegrain and vegetables, but in practice it is sugary drinks and sweet foods that gradually take up more space in everyday life. We can now see that very clearly in the figures,’ says Sisse Fagt, Senior Adviser at DTU National Food Institute.

More children and adults are living with overweight

Among adults in Denmark, 46.7% have overweight or obesity, and 18.4% have obesity, defined as a BMI of 30 or above. The level is in line with 2014, but average BMI has increased from 25.5 to 26.1 over the period. Among children aged 7-12 years, the proportion with overweight or obesity has risen from 11.4% to 20.1%, and their average BMI has increased from 16.9 to 17.5 over the same period. BMI (Body Mass Index) is calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared.
‘The figures show a persistently high level of overweight and obesity among adults, and an increase among children. At the same time, we see that average BMI among adults has increased. This suggests that the underlying causes lie in the shared structures and conditions of our everyday lives – not with the individual. It is a signal that long-term, structural solutions are needed if we are to reverse the trend,’ says Sisse Fagt. 

About the study methodology

The population survey monitors developments in the Nordic countries among children (7-12 years) and adults (18-65 years) in relation to diet, physical activity and overweight/obesity as well as alcohol, tobacco and nicotine products. Data were collected in 2011, 2014 and 2024 in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

The study is a repeated cross-sectional survey based on samples drawn from the national population registers. In 2024, approximately 1,000 adults and 500 children were invited to participate in each country. Data were collected using a combination of computer-assisted telephone interviews and online questionnaires (mixed-mode), and the responses were weighted for age, sex and education so that the results are representative at population level in each country and can be compared across the Nordic region.

The questionnaire survey on diet, physical activity and weight is carried out as repeated cross-sectional surveys among nationally representative samples of adults and of parents of children aged 7-12 years. Participants respond to a standardised Nordic questionnaire, in which the intake of different foods and drinks is recorded as frequency (times per day or per week). Height and weight are self-reported, and BMI (Body Mass Index) is calculated and categorised as normal weight, overweight or obesity according to international criteria. Data are weighted for age, sex and education so that the results reflect the population in each country.
 

Read more

See the full report: NORMO 2025 -NORDIC MONITORING 2014-2024 Status and development of diet, physical activity, use of nicotine products, alcohol and overweight.

Watch the Nordic Council of Ministers’ launch event about NORMO 2025.

For a more in-depth scientific perspective, you can watch a research webinar in which Senior Adviser Sisse Fagt presents the study design and the key changes in diet, physical activity, overweight, and alcohol and nicotine use among Nordic populations from 2014 to 2024. See the webinar.

See also the DTU National Food Institute's topic site on nutrition and dietary habits.

 

Contact

Sisse Fagt Senior adviser

Food production Nutrition and dietary habits