A recent report indicates a growing number of girls in Denmark are failing their 9th-grade leaving exams in Danish and mathematics. The figures, extracted by the Danish Employers’ Confederation, reveal a concerning trend where the proportion of girls failing these subjects has surpassed that of boys.

In 2024, 11.5 percent of girls did not pass either Danish or mathematics, a significant increase from 6.1 percent in 2019. Over the same period, the proportion of boys failing these subjects rose from 7.7 percent to 9.7 percent.

Mattias Tesfaye, the Minister for Children and Education, has expressed worry about these developments and has pledged to investigate the underlying causes. The minister aims to determine if socio-economic backgrounds play a role and whether similar trends are emerging in neighboring countries.

While girls still maintain a higher overall grade point average upon leaving primary school, broader data highlights a general increase in students failing either Danish or mathematics. A statement from the Labour Movement’s Economic Council in May showed that almost 12 percent of primary school students failed either Danish or mathematics in the 2023/2024 school year, the highest level since 2011/2012.

The analysis from the Labour Movement’s Economic Council primarily focused on students in public schools, excluding those in boarding schools, private schools, and special schools. Emilie Damm Klarskov, head of analysis at AE, emphasized the disparity in performance among children from different social classes, noting that children of workers and unemployed parents are particularly struggling.