People born in Syria made up the largest group of Sweden's foreign-born population in 2023. Nearly ******* people born in Syria lived in Sweden as of 2023. Iraqis 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.

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.

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.

Of Sweden's total population of 10.55 million people in 2023, nearly 8.4 million were Swedish-born citizens. Of the country's foreign-born population, the highest number came from Asia, with 856,000 people. People from the Nordic and EU countries made up the second largest group of foreign-born citizens in Sweden in 2023. The total number of foreign-born citizens in Sweden increased over the past 10 years.

Sweden SE: International Tourism: Number of Arrivals data was reported at 6,782,000.000 Person in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 6,482,000.000 Person for 2015. Sweden SE: International Tourism: Number of Arrivals data is updated yearly, averaging 4,702,500.000 Person from Dec 1995 (Median) to 2016, with 22 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 6,782,000.000 Person in 2016 and a record low of 2,310,000.000 Person in 1995. Sweden SE: International Tourism: Number of Arrivals 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: Tourism Statistics. International inbound tourists (overnight visitors) are the number of tourists who travel to a country other than that in which they have their usual residence, but outside their usual environment, for a period not exceeding 12 months and whose main purpose in visiting is other than an activity remunerated from within the country visited. When data on number of tourists are not available, the number of visitors, which includes tourists, same-day visitors, cruise passengers, and crew members, is shown instead. Sources and collection methods for arrivals differ across countries. In some cases data are from border statistics (police, immigration, and the like) and supplemented by border surveys. In other cases data are from tourism accommodation establishments. For some countries number of arrivals is limited to arrivals by air and for others to arrivals staying in hotels. Some countries include arrivals of nationals residing abroad while others do not. Caution should thus be used in comparing arrivals across countries. The data on inbound tourists refer to the number of arrivals, not to the number of people traveling. Thus a person who makes several trips to a country during a given period is counted each time as a new arrival.; ; World Tourism Organization, Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files.; Gap-filled total;

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.

Sweden SE: Population: Growth data was reported at 1.447 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.256 % for 2016. Sweden SE: Population: Growth data is updated yearly, averaging 0.538 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.447 % in 2017 and a record low of 0.045 % in 1983. Sweden SE: Population: Growth 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. Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage . Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.; ; Derived from total population. Population source: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision, (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average;

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.

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.

In 2022, the highest number of asylum seekers in Denmark came from Ukraine. This does not included refugees who were granted protection under the Special Act Directive. That year, more than 2,000 people from Ukraine applied for asylum in the country. Next to Ukraine, Afghanistan and Syria were the two most common countries of origin for asylum applicants in Denmark in 2022.

Fewer asylum applications

In 2021, Denmark received 4,600 asylum applications. After peaking in 2015 in the aftermath of the influx of refugees to Europe that year, the number of asylum applicants arriving in Denmark ahs decreased. This is a result of external factors such as tighter control at the borders of the EU, that the war in Syria has moved into a new phase, and COVID-19, but also the internal factor of stricter asylum laws implemented by the government. These tightened immigration laws have resulted in both fewer asylum requests and fewer grants of asylum.

Sweden: a different picture

In the neighboring country Sweden, a significantly higher number of people applied for asylum. Until 2016, Sweden had one of the most generous asylum laws in the European Union. Like Denmark, however, Sweden sharpened its asylum laws in the wake of the so-called refugee crisis in 2015. Yet nearly 17,000 people applied for asylum in Sweden in 2022, a number more than three times higher than in Denmark. In a similar fashion, the number of asylums granted also declined significantly during this period.

18 to 35 year old residents of Berlin and Frankfurt with a Turkish or Jugoslav migration background

In 2022, the largest group of Asian foreign-born citizens in Sweden came from Syria, with nearly 200,000 inhabitants. This was also the largest group of foreign-born citizens in Sweden in total that year. With 147,000 inhabitants, Iraqi made up the second largest group of citizens born in Asia living in Sweden, followed by Iranians.

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.

Over the past 10 years, the number of people with an immigrant background living in Norway increased. Whereas nearly 1.1 million people with an immigrant background lived in Norway in 2014, this number had increased to nearly 1.5 million as of 2024. Of these, first generation immigrants was, by far, the largest group, counting 930,000 people. The second largest group was people born in Norway with one parent born abroad, followed by inhabitants born in Norway with two parents born abroad. Immigration to the Nordics Norway is not the only Nordic country with increasing immigration. Immigration has increased in each Nordic country from 2000 and onwards, with Sweden leading immigration until being taken over by Denmark in 2022. Sweden has taken in a comparatively high number of refugees, but most immigrants to the Nordics are from other European countries, such as in Finland. Population challenges in the Nordics Over time, the fertility rate has declined in each Nordic country, and as of 2022, Iceland had the highest fertility rate in the region with only 1.6 children born per woman. Moreover, those aged 70 and older are increasingly making up larger portions of Nordic societies. These factors combined can create challenges as there are less workers available, making immigration an important factor in the Nordic labor markets.

In 2024, the leading country of origin for inbound tourism in Sweden was Germany. Based on the total number of nights spent by tourists in accommodation establishments across the country, around 3.6 million overnight stays were spent by Germans in Sweden. Norway closely followed, with Denmark as the third-largest inbound traveler to Sweden.

The international tourism expenditure in Sweden was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 50.6 billion U.S. dollars (+13.62 percent). After the eighth consecutive increasing year, the expenditure is estimated to reach 422.3 billion U.S. dollars and therefore a new peak in 2029. Covered are expenditures of international outbound visitors to other countries from the selected region, including payments to foreign carriers for international transport. Domestic tourism expenditures are not included. The forecast has been adjusted for the expected impact of COVID-19.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in more than 150 countries and regions worldwide. All input data are sourced from international institutions, national statistical offices, and trade associations. All data has been are processed to generate comparable datasets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).Find more key insights for the international tourism expenditure in countries like Iceland and Finland.

The number of international tourist arrivals in Sweden was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 1.1 million arrivals (+16.08 percent). According to this forecast, in 2029, the arrivals will have increased for the ninth consecutive year to 7.95 million arrivals. Depicted is the number of inbound international tourists. According to World Bank this refers to tourists travelling to a country which is not their usual residence, whereby the main purpose is not work related and the planned visitation period does not exceed 12 months. The forecast has been adjusted for the expected impact of COVID-19.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in more than 150 countries and regions worldwide. All input data are sourced from international institutions, national statistical offices, and trade associations. All data has been are processed to generate comparable datasets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).Find more key insights for the number of international tourist arrivals in countries like Iceland and Finland.

The international tourist departures in Sweden were forecast to increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 1.7 million departures (+10.1 percent). This overall increase does not happen continuously, notably not in 2028 and 2029. The number of depatures are estimated to amount to 18.55 million departures in 2029. According to Worldbank, international tourist departures can be defined as departures from the country of usual residence to any other country for any purpose other than work. The forecast has been adjusted for the expected impact of COVID-19.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in more than 150 countries and regions worldwide. All input data are sourced from international institutions, national statistical offices, and trade associations. All data has been are processed to generate comparable datasets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).Find more key insights for the international tourist departures in countries like Denmark and Finland.

Based on a comparison of coronavirus deaths in 210 countries relative to their population, Peru had the most losses to COVID-19 up until July 13, 2022. As of the same date, the virus had infected over 557.8 million people worldwide, and the number of deaths had totaled more than 6.3 million. Note, however, that COVID-19 test rates can vary per country. Additionally, big differences show up between countries when combining the number of deaths against confirmed COVID-19 cases. The source seemingly does not differentiate between "the Wuhan strain" (2019-nCOV) of COVID-19, "the Kent mutation" (B.1.1.7) that appeared in the UK in late 2020, the 2021 Delta variant (B.1.617.2) from India or the Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) from South Africa.

The difficulties of death figures

This table aims to provide a complete picture on the topic, but it very much relies on data that has become more difficult to compare. As the coronavirus pandemic developed across the world, countries already used different methods to count fatalities, and they sometimes changed them during the course of the pandemic. On April 16, for example, the Chinese city of Wuhan added a 50 percent increase in their death figures to account for community deaths. These deaths occurred outside of hospitals and went unaccounted for so far. The state of New York did something similar two days before, revising their figures with 3,700 new deaths as they started to include “assumed” coronavirus victims. The United Kingdom started counting deaths in care homes and private households on April 29, adjusting their number with about 5,000 new deaths (which were corrected lowered again by the same amount on August 18). This makes an already difficult comparison even more difficult. Belgium, for example, counts suspected coronavirus deaths in their figures, whereas other countries have not done that (yet). This means two things. First, it could have a big impact on both current as well as future figures. On April 16 already, UK health experts stated that if their numbers were corrected for community deaths like in Wuhan, the UK number would change from 205 to “above 300”. This is exactly what happened two weeks later. Second, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly which countries already have “revised” numbers (like Belgium, Wuhan or New York) and which ones do not. One work-around could be to look at (freely accessible) timelines that track the reported daily increase of deaths in certain countries. Several of these are available on our platform, such as for Belgium, Italy and Sweden. A sudden large increase might be an indicator that the domestic sources changed their methodology.

Where are these numbers coming from?

The numbers shown here were collected by Johns Hopkins University, a source that manually checks the data with domestic health authorities. For the majority of countries, this is from national authorities. In some cases, like China, the United States, Canada or Australia, city reports or other various state authorities were consulted. In this statistic, these separately reported numbers were put together. For more information or other freely accessible content, please visit our dedicated Facts and Figures page.