People born in Syria made up the largest group of Sweden's foreign-born population in 2023. Nearly 200,000 people born in Syria lived in Sweden as of 2023. Iraqi made up the second largest group of foreign-born citizens, followed by Sweden's neighboring country Finland. The total number of foreign-born citizens living in the Scandinavian country increased over the past 10 years.

Migration contributes to population growth

Sweden's positive net migration rate meant that it's population increased steadily since 2000. In 2022, over 100,000 people immigrated to Sweden, which was still significantly lower than the record year 2016.

Syrians fleeing civil war

The record number of refugees arriving in 2016 was driven by Syrians fleeing the Civil War in the country. Following the Arab spring and protests for democracy in 2011, fighting broke out between the Syrian national army and several armed factions. Several million people fled the country as a result, some of them seeking refuge in Sweden.

The majority of immigrants moving to Sweden in 2023 were Swedes returning to Sweden. Nearly 10,600 Swedes returned to their home country in 2023. The remaining top five countries of origin were India, Poland, Germany, and Syria. In total, 95,000 people immigrated to Sweden in 2023.

Syrians largest immigrant group

Of Sweden's foreign-born population, Syrians made up the largest group. Following the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, many people left the country in search of a better life in Europe, some of which landed in Sweden. In 2022, Sweden hosted the world's 7th largest group of Syrian refugees.

Immigration drives population increase in Sweden

Over the past decade, Sweden has seen a positive migration rate, with more people immigrating to the country than people leaving. This is one of the main reasons why the country's population has been increasing steadily over recent years.

Sweden immigration statistics for 2015 was 1,639,771, a 18.4% increase from 2010.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Sweden immigration statistics for 2010 was <strong>1,384,929</strong>, a <strong>23.02% increase</strong> from 2005.</li>
<li>Sweden immigration statistics for 2005 was <strong>1,125,790</strong>, a <strong>12.15% increase</strong> from 2000.</li>
<li>Sweden immigration statistics for 2000 was <strong>1,003,798</strong>, a <strong>7.24% increase</strong> from 1995.</li>
</ul>International migrant stock is the number of people born in a country other than that in which they live. It also includes refugees. The data used to estimate the international migrant stock at a particular time are obtained mainly from population censuses. The estimates are derived from the data on foreign-born population--people who have residence in one country but were born in another country. When data on the foreign-born population are not available, data on foreign population--that is, people who are citizens of a country other than the country in which they reside--are used as estimates. After the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 people living in one of the newly independent countries who were born in another were classified as international migrants. Estimates of migrant stock in the newly independent states from 1990 on are based on the 1989 census of the Soviet Union. For countries with information on the international migrant stock for at least two points in time, interpolation or extrapolation was used to estimate the international migrant stock on July 1 of the reference years. For countries with only one observation, estimates for the reference years were derived using rates of change in the migrant stock in the years preceding or following the single observation available. A model was used to estimate migrants for countries that had no data.

The number of people born outside of Sweden as a share of the Swedish population increased since 2010. That year, 1.38 million of the country's inhabitants were born outside of Sweden, whereas this number had increased to 2.17 million by 2023. In other words, foreign-born citizens made up around 20 percent of the population in Sweden in 2023. Of the 2.17 million people born outside of Sweden, the highest number came from Syria.

In 2023, people from Asia formed the biggest group of foreign-born inhabitants in Sweden, with over 855,000 people. People born in the EU and the Nordic countries accounted for the second largest group of foreign-born inhabitants, reaching around 600,000 people. Looking at single countries, the largest group of Sweden's foreign-born population was born in Syria.

In 2022, the largest group of foreign-born citizens from European countries residing in Sweden were from the neighboring country Finland. 133,000 Fins lived in Sweden in 2022. People born in Poland made up the second largest group of foreign-born Europeans, followed by people born in the former Yugoslavia, from which many people migrated during the Yugoslavian wars in the 1990s.

Of the foreigners living in Sweden, people from North and Central America as well as Oceania had the highest education levels, with respectively 50 and 46 percent having a post-secondary education of three years or more. An upper secondary education was the most common education among people from other Nordic countries and European countries outside the Nordics and the European Union. Meanwhile, nearly 30 percent of people from Africa had a primary education or lower.

Sweden SE: International Migrant Stock: Total data was reported at 1,639,771.000 Person in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 1,384,929.000 Person for 2010. Sweden SE: International Migrant Stock: Total data is updated yearly, averaging 721,462.500 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2015, with 12 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,639,771.000 Person in 2015 and a record low of 295,618.000 Person in 1960. Sweden SE: International Migrant Stock: Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Sweden – Table SE.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. International migrant stock is the number of people born in a country other than that in which they live. It also includes refugees. The data used to estimate the international migrant stock at a particular time are obtained mainly from population censuses. The estimates are derived from the data on foreign-born population--people who have residence in one country but were born in another country. When data on the foreign-born population are not available, data on foreign population--that is, people who are citizens of a country other than the country in which they reside--are used as estimates. After the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 people living in one of the newly independent countries who were born in another were classified as international migrants. Estimates of migrant stock in the newly independent states from 1990 on are based on the 1989 census of the Soviet Union. For countries with information on the international migrant stock for at least two points in time, interpolation or extrapolation was used to estimate the international migrant stock on July 1 of the reference years. For countries with only one observation, estimates for the reference years were derived using rates of change in the migrant stock in the years preceding or following the single observation available. A model was used to estimate migrants for countries that had no data.; ; United Nations Population Division, Trends in Total Migrant Stock: 2012 Revision.; Sum;

Sweden was the Nordic country that received the highest number of immigrants from 2001 to 2021. In 2021, nearly 91,000 people immigrated to Sweden, but was overtaken by Denmark in 2022. Sweden was also the country in the region with the highest net migration over the last years. Iceland, which also has the smallest population of the five, had the lowest number of immigrants. Migration to Sweden As the Nordic country with the highest number of migrants, nearly 44 percent of survey respondents consider immigration an important issue for Swedish society, more than other European countries. In 2023, most immigrants to Sweden were Swedes returning to the country, followed by India, Poland, and Germany. The need for migration in Nordic nations Migrants often fill in gaps within labor markets that local populations cannot fill. In Nordic nations, these gaps are becoming more apparent as fertility rates decrease. Over the past decade, crude birth rates have decreased in all Nordic countries. Meanwhile, those aged 70 years and older are becoming larger portions of Nordic societies. Declining birth rates combined with aging societies mean that labor markets will be challenged to have enough workers.

People from Somalia made up the largest group of foreign-born citizens from Africa living in Sweden in 2022, with nearly 70,000 people. Eritreans and Ethiopians made up the second and third largest group, respectively, meaning that a high number of the foreign-born born population from African countries come from the Horn of Africa. This is a region characterized by famines, terrorism, and authoritarian rule over the past decades, resulting in a high number of refugees.

Sweden Number of Immigrants: Congo Democratic Republic data was reported at 158.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 108.000 Person for 2016. Sweden Number of Immigrants: Congo Democratic Republic data is updated yearly, averaging 132.500 Person from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2017, with 18 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 188.000 Person in 2006 and a record low of 52.000 Person in 2002. Sweden Number of Immigrants: Congo Democratic Republic data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics Sweden. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Sweden – Table SE.G009: Number of Immigrants: by Sex and Country.

Share of the municipality’s population aged 0-19 years born in a country other than Sweden. Calculated as the number of inhabitants 0-19 years born in a country other than Sweden divided by the total number of inhabitants 0-19 years, multiplied by 100. Refers to 31/12. Data is available according to gender breakdown.

Over the past 23 years, the total population of Sweden increased steadily. In 2000, there were nearly 8.9 million people living in the Scandinavian country, and this had increased to 10.55 million in 2023. The population growth is expected to continue over the next decades, and it is estimated that the population of Sweden will reach over 13 million by 2080.

Immigration drove the population growth

One main reason for the steadily increasing is the number of immigrants arriving in the country. Even though the number of immigrants fell since the peak in 2016, the population with a foreign background increased steadily over the past 10 years.

Syrians make up the largest group of foreigners

The high number of immigrants arriving in Sweden in 2016 was caused by the high number or refugees fleeing the Syrian Civil War. As of 2022, Syrians made up the largest foreign group residing in the country. Next to refugees from the Middle East, immigrants from other EU-members such as Poland and neighboring Finland constituted a high number of the foreign-born citizens living in the country.

The research project Political Resocialization of Immigrants (PRI) examines political interest and participation among immigrants. The aim of the project was to study immigrant´s relations to community and politics; their living conditions; experiences of immigration to Sweden; factors possible to stimulate increasing political commitment; political attitudes and political behaviour; representatives and demands; information about the Swedish administrative and political system. More than 2 500 interviews were conducted in 1975-1976 with random samples of immigrants born in Finland, Yugoslavia, Poland and Turkey, and a comparison group of Swedish citizens in the 18-67 age group and domiciled in Stockholm municipality. Stratified samples drawn from among the respondents from the first-wave survey were reinterviewed in an election survey during the weeks following the municipal elections of September 1976, in which immigrants participated for the first time. The first-wave interview included questions on: time of moving to Sweden and Stockholm respectively; places of living; language spoken by the respondent, and language spoken by partner and children; newspaper read (Swedish and from native country) and news listened to (Swedish and from other countries); how the respondent would act in a situation when there is a risk of unemployment; circle of friends; organizational membership and activities; knowledge of who to address in Stockholm in different situations; contacts with authorities; important problems in society; interest in Swedish politics; participation in elections in native country and in Sweden; comparison of the personal situation in a number of areas at present and when living in native country; own situation compared with other immigrants and with Swedes respectively; present and earlier occupation; placement in a ´pyramid of society´ in native country and in Sweden; organizational activities of parents; religiosity, own and parents´. In connection with this interview the respondent had to fill in a questionnaire, in which she/he had to state if she/he agreed or not with a number of general statements and a number of statements concerning her/his own nationality. The election survey included questions about election programs in radio and television, study circles discussing the election, information pamphlets, political meetings, knowledge of candidates, voting, important issues in the election campaign, political parties with special interest in issues concerning immigrants, attempts to influence other people how to vote, comparison between Swedish political parties and parties in the native country, interest in election turn-out, and when the respondent decided to vote/not to vote.

Until 2016, Sweden had among the most generous asylum laws within the European Union. As a result, the immigration increased for several years, reaching 163,000 immigrants in 2016. During 2016, Sweden sharpened their asylum laws, and the number of immigrants started to decline. In 2020, also as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of immigrants in Sweden fell to 82,500, before increasing slightly again in 2021 and 2022. Over the last years, there was also a decline in the number of asylum grants in Sweden.

Large inflow of refugees

The so-called refugee crisis in the European Union that started in 2015 was characterized by a large inflow of refugees from non-European countries, mainly traversing the Mediterranean Sea in order to reach the European Union. In regards to the immigration trends to Sweden, one of the biggest groups in the last years consisted of Swedes returning to Sweden. Further countries that were among the top countries of origin in the latest years, were India, Syria, Germany, and Poland.

Decline in asylum grants in the European Union

Sweden is not the only country that sharpened the rules for asylum grants in 2016, it has been observed within the whole European Union. Since the end of 2016, there has been a significant decline in the number of accepted first instance asylum applications within the European Union.

Sweden Number of Immigrants: Female: Myanmar data was reported at 14.000 Person in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 16.000 Person for 2016. Sweden Number of Immigrants: Female: Myanmar data is updated yearly, averaging 9.500 Person from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2017, with 18 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 21.000 Person in 2005 and a record low of 0.000 Person in 2000. Sweden Number of Immigrants: Female: Myanmar data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics Sweden. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Sweden – Table SE.G009: Number of Immigrants: by Sex and Country.

Sweden Number of Immigrants: Female: Dominican Republic data was reported at 22.000 Person in 2017. This stayed constant from the previous number of 22.000 Person for 2016. Sweden Number of Immigrants: Female: Dominican Republic data is updated yearly, averaging 22.000 Person from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2017, with 18 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 31.000 Person in 2013 and a record low of 5.000 Person in 2000. Sweden Number of Immigrants: Female: Dominican Republic data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics Sweden. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Sweden – Table SE.G009: Number of Immigrants: by Sex and Country.

Sweden net migration for 2023 was 39,998, a 0% increase from 2022.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Sweden net migration for 2022 was <strong>39,998</strong>, a <strong>50.06% decline</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>Sweden net migration for 2021 was <strong>80,097</strong>, a <strong>1.2% decline</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>Sweden net migration for 2020 was <strong>81,066</strong>, a <strong>0.64% decline</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>Net migration is the net total of migrants during the period, that is, the total number of immigrants less the annual number of emigrants, including both citizens and noncitizens. Data are five-year estimates.

The research project Political Resocialization of Immigrants (PRI) examines political interest and participation among immigrants. The aim of the project was to study immigrant´s relations to community and politics; their living conditions; experiences of immigration to Sweden; factors possible to stimulate increasing political commitment; political attitudes and political behaviour; representatives and demands; information about the Swedish administrative and political system. More than 2 500 interviews were conducted in 1975-1976 with random samples of immigrants born in Finland, Yugoslavia, Poland and Turkey, and a comparison group of Swedish citizens in the 18-67 age group and domiciled in Stockholm municipality. Stratified samples drawn from among the respondents from the first-wave survey were reinterviewed in an election survey during the weeks following the municipal elections of September 1976, in which immigrants participated for the first time. The first-wave interview included questions on: time of moving to Sweden and Stockholm respectively; places of living; language spoken by the respondent, and language spoken by partner and children; newspaper read (Swedish and from native country) and news listened to (Swedish and from other countries); how the respondent would act in a situation when there is a risk of unemployment; circle of friends; organizational membership and activities; knowledge of who to address in Stockholm in different situations; contacts with authorities; important problems in society; interest in Swedish politics; participation in elections in native country and in Sweden; comparison of the personal situation in a number of areas at present and when living in native country; own situation compared with other immigrants and with Swedes respectively; present and earlier occupation; placement in a ´pyramid of society´ in native country and in Sweden; organizational activities of parents; religiosity, own and parents´. In connection with this interview the respondent had to fill in a questionnaire, in which she/he had to state if she/he agreed or not with a number of general statements and a number of statements concerning her/his own nationality. The election survey included questions about election programs in radio and television, study circles discussing the election, information pamphlets, political meetings, knowledge of candidates, voting, important issues in the election campaign, political parties with special interest in issues concerning immigrants, attempts to influence other people how to vote, comparison between Swedish political parties and parties in the native country, interest in election turn-out, and when the respondent decided to vote/not to vote.

Individuals aged 19–25 years old residing in Sweden in 2004. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).