Bicycles outnumber cars roughly 5:1 in Copenhagen, making it one of the most bike-friendly cities

Here's a stat that might make you rethink your commute: In Copenhagen, there are five times more bicycles than cars. Planning a trip there? Here's what to know.

If Copenhagen is on your travel bucket list, it helps to know how to ride a cycle. According to the City of Copenhagen's Mobility Facts and Figures 2021, shared by Radkompetenz Austria, a platform connecting businesses, planners, researchers, and public agencies to improve cycling infrastructure, Copenhageners owned 1,32,200 cars and 7,36,600 bicycles in 2020 — corresponding to five times as many bicycles as cars.

It's not a new phenomenon. According to the World Economic Forum's 2018 report on Copenhagen, the city had 6,75,000 bicycles and just 1,20,000 cars at the time, meaning bikes outnumbered cars by more than five to one. The same report noted a milestone: in 2016, more bikes crossed the city than cars for the first time since records began in 1970.

How dominant is cycling in Copenhagen?

The World Economic Forum reported that almost one-third — 29 percent — of all journeys in Copenhagen are made by bike, and 41 percent of commutes to work or study are pedal-powered. For people living as well as working or studying in Copenhagen, the Forum reported that proportion was even higher — 62 percent. The World Economic Forum also reported that, in 2016, Copenhagen's cyclists covered a total of 1.4 million km each day, an increase of 22 percent since 2006.

Are there cycling rules in Copenhagen?

If you visit the capital of Denmark, you should bike — but you need to bike like a local. As per a May 2026 report by LonelyPlanet.com, you will likely be wowed by the biking culture in Copenhagen. If you truly want to blend in, LonelyPlanet.com suggested you hop on a bike to take you from A to B.

LonelyPlanet.com also reported that there are important bike rules to follow if you don't want to anger fellow riders, and noted that for locals, cycling was primarily a mode of transportation rather than something they do for fun.

The rules, as outlined by LonelyPlanet.com were: stay off the bigger bike lanes during rush hour — 7:15am to 8:45am, then 3:30pm to 5pm. Always stay to the far right of the bike lane. Signal ahead of time by putting your left hand in the air if you brake, and use your arms to indicate when you are making a turn.

So why does everyone ride bicycles here?

The World Economic Forum's 2018 report pointed to one of the main reasons: the network of paths, including innovative bridges, which form cycling superhighways across the city. This, it noted, was perhaps the key to understanding why Copenhagen is also one of the safest places for cyclists.

Between 2006 and 2016, there was an increase in cyclists' sense of safety — from 53 percent to 76 percent, as per the World Economic Forum. It also reported that cycling is a great, low-impact form of exercise that can build muscle and bone density and increase cardiovascular fitness.