NationPulse
🇸🇪 Sweden in official data
How Sweden is doing across 22 areas of society, from the economy to health, housing and education: the latest official figures from Eurostat, the OECD and national statistics offices, as shown on NationPulse.
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Where it stands in the EU
- Adults learning in the last 12 months: Sweden has the highest value in the EU (73.9 %, 2022).
- Youth unemployment rate: Sweden has the 3rd highest value in the EU (24.3 %, 2025).
- R&D expenditure (GERD): Sweden has the highest value in the EU (3.53 % GDP, 2024).
- Business R&D expenditure (BERD): Sweden has the highest value in the EU (2.59 % GDP, 2024).
- Researchers: Sweden has the highest value in the EU (1.99 %, 2024).
- Scientists and engineers in the labour force: Sweden has the highest value in the EU (15.4 %, 2025).
- ICT specialists in employment: Sweden has the highest value in the EU (8.9 %, 2025).
- Homes without a bath, shower or indoor toilet: Sweden has the lowest value in the EU (0.0 %, 2020).
- Road traffic deaths: Sweden has the lowest value in the EU (2.0 /100k, 2024).
- People taking part in active citizenship: Sweden has the 2nd highest value in the EU (20.2 %, 2022).
- Life expectancy at birth: Sweden has the 2nd highest value in the EU (83.8 years, 2024).
- Premature deaths from fine particulate matter (PM2.5): Sweden has the 2nd lowest value in the EU (2 /100k, 2023).
- Greenhouse gas emissions per person: Sweden has the 2nd lowest value in the EU (4.5 t CO2e, 2024).
- People reporting pollution in their area: Sweden has the 2nd lowest value in the EU (5.0 %, 2023).
- Young people not in employment, education or training (NEET): Sweden has the 2nd lowest value in the EU (5.9 %, 2025).
- New doctorate graduates in STEM: Sweden has the 3rd highest value in the EU (1.3 /1,000, 2024).
- Patent applications to the European Patent Office: Sweden has the 3rd highest value in the EU (446.2 /million, 2025).
- Employment in high-technology sectors: Sweden has the 3rd highest value in the EU (6.9 %, 2025).
- SMEs with at least basic digital intensity: Sweden has the 3rd highest value in the EU (86.6 %, 2024).
- Enterprises using artificial intelligence: Sweden has the 3rd highest value in the EU (35.0 %, 2025).
- Fatal accidents at work: Sweden has the 3rd lowest value in the EU (0.75 /100k, 2024).
Brain: Education, research & innovation
Eyes: Information & Digital Access
| Indicator | Latest value | Period | Source |
|---|
| Households with internet access | 95.7 % | 2025 | Eurostat |
| People with at least basic digital skills | 70.0 % | 2025 | Eurostat |
| People reading news online | 81.7 % | 2025 | Eurostat |
Ears: Civic Participation
| Indicator | Latest value | Period | Source |
|---|
| People taking part in active citizenship | 20.2 % | 2022 | Eurostat |
Jaw: Justice & Institutions
| Indicator | Latest value | Period | Source |
|---|
| Perceived independence of the justice system | 76 % | 2025 | Eurostat |
Neck: Government & Public Administration
| Indicator | Latest value | Period | Source |
|---|
| People using online public services | 96.0 % | 2025 | Eurostat |
Heart: Economy & Financial Stability
| Indicator | Latest value | Period | Source |
|---|
| Actual individual consumption per capita | 105 EU = 100 | 2024 | Eurostat |
| Real household disposable income per person | 122.3 2008=100 | 2025 | Eurostat |
| Real GDP per person | 49,250 € | 2025 | Eurostat |
| Government debt | 35.1 % GDP | 2025 | Eurostat |
Left lung: Healthcare
| Indicator | Latest value | Period | Source |
|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 83.8 years | 2024 | Eurostat |
| Unmet need for medical care | 2.1 % | 2025 | Eurostat |
| Out-of-pocket spending on healthcare | 13.3 % | 2025 | Eurostat |
Right lung: Environment & Climate
Stomach: Cost of Living
Liver: Poverty & Social Welfare
| Indicator | Latest value | Period | Source |
|---|
| People making ends meet with great difficulty | 4.1 % | 2025 | Eurostat (EU-SILC) |
| At risk of poverty or social exclusion | 18.6 % | 2025 | Eurostat |
| Poverty reduction by social transfers | 38.3 % | 2025 | Eurostat |
Left kidney: Housing
| Indicator | Latest value | Period | Source |
|---|
| Housing cost overburden rate | 10.8 % | 2025 | Eurostat |
| Overcrowding rate | 15.7 % | 2025 | Eurostat |
| Severe housing deprivation rate | 2.3 % | 2023 | Eurostat |
Right kidney: Essential Utilities
| Indicator | Latest value | Period | Source |
|---|
| Unable to keep the home adequately warm | 4.7 % | 2025 | Eurostat |
| Arrears on utility bills | 4.4 % | 2025 | Eurostat |
| Homes without a bath, shower or indoor toilet | 0.0 % | 2020 | Eurostat |
Left arm: Employment
| Indicator | Latest value | Period | Source |
|---|
| Unemployment rate | 8.80 % | 2025 | Eurostat |
| Employment rate, ages 20–64 | 81.8 % | 2025 | Eurostat |
Right arm: Job Quality
| Indicator | Latest value | Period | Source |
|---|
| Temporary employees | 10.5 % | 2025 | Eurostat |
| Underemployed part-time workers | 3.6 % | 2025 | Eurostat |
| In-work at-risk-of-poverty rate | 7.1 % | 2025 | Eurostat |
| Usual weekly working hours, full-time employees | 40.9 h/week | 2025 | Eurostat |
Left hand: Youth Opportunities
| Indicator | Latest value | Period | Source |
|---|
| Youth unemployment rate | 24.3 % | 2025 | Eurostat |
| Young people not in employment, education or training (NEET) | 5.9 % | 2025 | Eurostat |
Right hand: Workplace Safety
| Indicator | Latest value | Period | Source |
|---|
| Fatal accidents at work | 0.75 /100k | 2024 | Eurostat |
| Non-fatal accidents at work | 962 /100k | 2024 | Eurostat |
Left leg: Roads & Transport
| Indicator | Latest value | Period | Source |
|---|
| Road traffic deaths | 2.0 /100k | 2024 | Eurostat |
Right leg: Public Transport & Mobility
| Indicator | Latest value | Period | Source |
|---|
| Public transport share of passenger travel | 19.3 % | 2024 | Eurostat |
| Rail share of passenger travel | 11.3 % | 2024 | Eurostat |
Left foot: Regional Accessibility
| Indicator | Latest value | Period | Source |
|---|
| Rural households covered by very high capacity broadband | 69.4 % | 2025 | Eurostat |
Right foot: Digital Infrastructure
| Indicator | Latest value | Period | Source |
|---|
| Households covered by very high capacity broadband | 89.8 % | 2025 | Eurostat |
| Households covered by 5G | 98.7 % | 2025 | Eurostat |
Skin and body outline: Public Safety & Social Inclusion
| Indicator | Latest value | Period | Source |
|---|
| People reporting crime, violence or vandalism in their area | 9.4 % | 2023 | Eurostat |
| Deaths due to homicide | 1.14 /100k | 2023 | Eurostat |
| Disability employment gap | 22.6 pp | 2025 | Eurostat |
| Trust in other people | 5.6 /10 | 2025 | Eurostat |
Researched context (not official statistics)
For conditions with no official series, published figures from other credible sources, checked against the linked pages:
- Educational inequality by social background: In PISA 2022, social background mattered about as much in Sweden as on average in the OECD: advantaged students outscored disadvantaged ones by 99 points in maths, against 93.
- Scientific research outcomes: Research in Sweden is cited much more often than the EU average (5th in the EU), and it is strongly international: co-publications with foreign researchers are more than twice the EU average (4th).
- Public voice: CIVICUS rates civic space in Sweden as "open", the best of its five levels.
- Media freedom: Reporters Without Borders ranks Sweden 5th of 180 countries for press freedom in 2026, down from 4th in 2025.
- Access to justice: The World Justice Project places Sweden 4th of 143 countries for the rule of law, and 3rd for civil justice.
- Court efficiency: Courts in Sweden took an estimated 150 days to resolve civil and commercial disputes at first instance in 2024, against 124 in the Netherlands, 423 in Spain and 584 in Italy.
- Public service effectiveness: The World Bank scores the effectiveness of Sweden’s government at 89.5 out of 100 in 2025, up from 87.5 in 2023.
- Transport infrastructure: Business executives placed Sweden’s roads 20th of 141 countries in 2019; the World Bank gives its trade and transport infrastructure 4.2 out of 5.
- Commuting: In 2019 a one-way commute in Sweden took 26 minutes on average, close to the EU average of 25.
- Access to services: Most people in Sweden can reach work or study without a car: 74.7% can get there within an hour by public transport, cycling or walking, above the EU average.
Data retrieved 2026-10-21. Every value links to its official source.
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