Cities in Denmark
Last updated 25 September 2026
All 9 cities in Denmark with more than 100,000 residents: the official population, a short profile and the crime rate recorded by the police, set against the rate for Denmark.
Municipalities (kommuner) with at least 100,000 residents on 1 July 2026. Danish kommuner are large and include the main town plus surrounding towns, villages and countryside.
How to read the figures
- Population is the latest official figure from Statistics Denmark.
- The crime rate is: criminal-code offences reported per 1,000 residents, 2025, from Statistics Denmark. National rate: Denmark 54.6.
- Statistics Denmark publishes the number of reported offences by municipality, not a rate; the rate here divides that number by the residents on 1 July 2025. Traffic and special-law offences are not included, and about 7.5% of reports in 2025 had no municipality recorded.
- Compare cities within Denmark only: every country defines and records crime differently.
- The figure is not your personal risk: offences are counted where they happen, so city centres with many commuters and visitors record higher rates.
All 9 cities
| City | Region | Residents | Crime rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copenhagen | Capital Region of Denmark (Region Hovedstaden) | 670,389 | 103.1 |
| Aarhus | Central Denmark Region (Region Midtjylland) | 378,270 | 60.5 |
| Aalborg | North Denmark Region (Region Nordjylland) | 226,404 | 41.3 |
| Odense | Region of Southern Denmark (Region Syddanmark) | 213,140 | 60.0 |
| Vejle | Region of Southern Denmark (Region Syddanmark) | 123,947 | 42.3 |
| Esbjerg | Region of Southern Denmark (Region Syddanmark) | 114,824 | 47.2 |
| Frederiksberg | Capital Region of Denmark (Region Hovedstaden) | 105,947 | 71.7 |
| Silkeborg | Central Denmark Region (Region Midtjylland) | 103,293 | 33.4 |
| Randers | Central Denmark Region (Region Midtjylland) | 100,921 | 41.6 |
The cities, from largest
Copenhagen (København)
Capital Region of Denmark (Region Hovedstaden) · 670,389 residents on 1 July 2026.
Denmark's capital and largest municipality, home to the University of Copenhagen (founded 1479, about 37,000 students); the municipality itself is one of Denmark's largest workplaces. The metro runs from Copenhagen Airport to the city centre in 14 minutes.
Criminal-code offences reported per 1,000 residents, 2025: Copenhagen 103.1, Denmark 54.6. Rate calculated by Relocate in Europe from the official count and the official population.
Sources – population: Statistics Denmark · Crime: Statistics Denmark · About the city: Vores arbejdsplads – Københavns Kommune, Profile and history – University of Copenhagen, Københavns Lufthavn Metro Station – Metroen
Aarhus
Central Denmark Region (Region Midtjylland) · 378,270 residents on 1 July 2026.
Denmark's second-largest municipality, home to Aarhus University (37,000 students, main campus in Aarhus) and Aarhus University Hospital, which has more than 10,000 employees. The Port of Aarhus describes itself as Denmark's largest commercial port.
Criminal-code offences reported per 1,000 residents, 2025: Aarhus 60.5, Denmark 54.6. Rate calculated by Relocate in Europe from the official count and the official population.
Sources – population: Statistics Denmark · Crime: Statistics Denmark · About the city: Profile – Aarhus University, About the Hospital – Aarhus Universitetshospital, Port of Aarhus
Aalborg
North Denmark Region (Region Nordjylland) · 226,404 residents on 1 July 2026.
Denmark's third-largest municipality and seat of the North Denmark Region, with more than 30,000 students at Aalborg University and University College Nordjylland. Aalborg has an airport, a port and the E45 and E39 motorways; flights to Copenhagen take about 40 minutes.
Criminal-code offences reported per 1,000 residents, 2025: Aalborg 41.3, Denmark 54.6. Rate calculated by Relocate in Europe from the official count and the official population.
Sources – population: Statistics Denmark · Crime: Statistics Denmark · About the city: Erhvervsmæssige fordele – Aalborg Kommune, Kontakt og find vej – Region Nordjylland
Odense
Region of Southern Denmark (Region Syddanmark) · 213,140 residents on 1 July 2026.
Denmark's fourth-largest municipality, home to the University of Southern Denmark's largest campus and to Odense University Hospital, which has over 12,000 employees including its Svendborg site. The municipality hosts a robotics and drone cluster that includes Odense Robotics and UAS Denmark.
Criminal-code offences reported per 1,000 residents, 2025: Odense 60.0, Denmark 54.6. Rate calculated by Relocate in Europe from the official count and the official population.
Sources – population: Statistics Denmark · Crime: Statistics Denmark · About the city: SDU Odense – University of Southern Denmark, About OUH – Odense University Hospital, Robotter og teknologi i Odense – Odense Kommune
Vejle
Region of Southern Denmark (Region Syddanmark) · 123,947 residents on 1 July 2026.
Denmark's fifth-largest municipality and seat of the Region of Southern Denmark, located in the Triangle Region (Trekantområdet) and the East Jutland urban belt. The municipality has road and rail links, and international flights are via Billund Airport.
Criminal-code offences reported per 1,000 residents, 2025: Vejle 42.3, Denmark 54.6. Rate calculated by Relocate in Europe from the official count and the official population.
Sources – population: Statistics Denmark · Crime: Statistics Denmark · About the city: Kontakt Region Syddanmark – Region Syddanmark, Erhverv – Vejle Kommune
Esbjerg
Region of Southern Denmark (Region Syddanmark) · 114,824 residents on 1 July 2026.
Denmark's sixth-largest municipality, centred on Port Esbjerg, which describes itself as the world's largest base port for offshore wind and also serves the oil and gas industry. The University of Southern Denmark has a campus in Esbjerg.
Criminal-code offences reported per 1,000 residents, 2025: Esbjerg 47.2, Denmark 54.6. Rate calculated by Relocate in Europe from the official count and the official population.
Sources – population: Statistics Denmark · Crime: Statistics Denmark · About the city: Port Esbjerg – front page, Esbjerg Campus – University of Southern Denmark
Frederiksberg
Capital Region of Denmark (Region Hovedstaden) · 105,947 residents on 1 July 2026.
An independent municipality in the middle of Copenhagen (Copenhagen region), covering 8.7 km², which makes it Denmark's most densely populated municipality. Educational institutions there include Copenhagen Business School and the Royal Danish Academy of Music, as well as University of Copenhagen sites.
Criminal-code offences reported per 1,000 residents, 2025: Frederiksberg 71.7, Denmark 54.6. Rate calculated by Relocate in Europe from the official count and the official population.
Sources – population: Statistics Denmark · Crime: Statistics Denmark · About the city: Fakta om kommunen – Frederiksberg Kommune, Contact CBS – Copenhagen Business School
Silkeborg
Central Denmark Region (Region Midtjylland) · 103,293 residents on 1 July 2026.
Denmark's eighth-largest municipality, where the largest workplaces are the municipality itself, Silkeborg Regional Hospital and Jyske Bank. Its population grew by 1.2% during 2025, twice the national average.
Criminal-code offences reported per 1,000 residents, 2025: Silkeborg 33.4, Denmark 54.6. Rate calculated by Relocate in Europe from the official count and the official population.
Sources – population: Statistics Denmark · Crime: Statistics Denmark · About the city: Fakta om Silkeborg Kommune – Silkeborg Kommune
Randers
Central Denmark Region (Region Midtjylland) · 100,921 residents on 1 July 2026.
Formed in 2007 by merging the old market town of Randers with neighbouring rural municipalities; it covers 748 km², including about 70 km of coastline. It lies between Aarhus and Aalborg near the E45 motorway and rail network, with 450,000 jobs within an hour's drive.
Criminal-code offences reported per 1,000 residents, 2025: Randers 41.6, Denmark 54.6. Rate calculated by Relocate in Europe from the official count and the official population.
Sources – population: Statistics Denmark · Crime: Statistics Denmark · About the city: Fakta om Randers Kommune – Randers Kommune, Randers i perspektiv – muligheder og konkurrence (planning document, 2022) – Randers Kommune
Sources and method
Population: Statistics Denmark, StatBank table FOLK1A: Befolkningen den 1. i kvartalet efter område, køn, alder og civilstand – 2026Q3 (1 July 2026), updated 10 August 2026. Crime: Statistics Denmark, StatBank table STRAF22: Anmeldte forbrydelser og sigtelser efter område, overtrædelsens art, anmeldte og sigtede og tid (annual, 2025 published 19 February 2026). Where a figure was not published for a city, we say so rather than estimate it. Found an error? Write to editor@relocateineurope.com.