AbstractPurposeTo study the development over time of the age‐ and sex‐standardized incidence of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) in Denmark.MethodsRegistry study, based on the Danish National Patient Registry data. End‐point: Individuals undergoing the first surgery for RRD.ResultsDuring 2000–2016 we identified 11 769 individuals with a primary RRD surgery in either eye. The age‐ and sex‐standardized incidence rate of RRD increased by more than 50% during the study period. We found a significant increase in this incidence rate for both men and women older than 50 years, and in men, but not in women, younger than 50 years (p < 0.001). However, the increase of primary RRD surgery during the study period was most pronounced in men aged 50 years or older, where the rate of increase was 1.7 ± 0.1 cases per 100 000 person‐years per year (p < 10−11).ConclusionThe incidence of RRD is increasing, and this increase is primarily driven by men aged 50 years or older.