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Moving to Sweden

Sweden country facts, largest cities, hub labels and reports.

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Across 198 passports, 93 passports enter visa-free and 105 passports need a visa for Sweden. Check your passport below.

Visa-free
93
Visa required
105

198 accepted passport rules · rules effective as of 2026-09-05

Visa and entry rules

Sources checked through 5 Sept 2026.

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Sweden?

The national unemployment rate was 8.8 % in 2025. Source: Eurostat — Unemployment by sex and age — annual data (une_rt_a)15

This is the Eurostat labour-force survey series used as the canonical national answer. Other published definitions exist and are shown in the table below.

What is the median gross salary in Sweden?

The median gross salary was 3,463 EUR/month in 2022.

Half of employees earn less than this. Mean gross and national-accounts averages use different definitions and are shown in the table below. national-accounts average — shown in the table below.

  • Median gross salary, monthly: 3,463 EUR/month · Eurostat (Structure of Earnings Survey, earn_ses_monthly)16
  • Average gross salary, monthly: 3,364 EUR/month · 2026-07-25 · Eurostat — National accounts aggregates (nama_10_a10) and employment (nama_10_a10_e)14
MetricValuePeriodSource
Median gross salary, monthly3,463 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Eurostat (Structure of Earnings Survey, earn_ses_monthly)16Official · national figure
National unemployment rate8.8 %31 Dec 2025Eurostat — Unemployment by sex and age — annual data (une_rt_a)15Official · national figure
Unemployment across cities in SwedenOf 216 cities with data, 61 have unemployment of 8 to under 10%.

Typical city (median): about 10.6%

unemployment rate, % · measured cities in Sweden per band3 cities: 4% to under 6%34–625 cities: 6% to under 8%256–861 cities: 8% to under 10%618–1053 cities: 10% to under 12%5310–1241 cities: 12% to under 14%4112–1422 cities: 14% to under 16%2214–169 cities: 16% to under 18%916–182 cities: 18% to under 20%218–20

Unemployment rate (%)

Net rent across cities in SwedenOf 198 cities with data, 58 have net rent of 9 to under 10 €/m²/month.

Typical city (median): about €10.01

net rent, € / m² / month · measured cities in Sweden per band1 city: 6 €/m²/month to under 7 €/m²/month16–76 cities: 7 €/m²/month to under 8 €/m²/month67–833 cities: 8 €/m²/month to under 9 €/m²/month338–958 cities: 9 €/m²/month to under 10 €/m²/month589–1046 cities: 10 €/m²/month to under 11 €/m²/month4610–1127 cities: 11 €/m²/month to under 12 €/m²/month2711–1214 cities: 12 €/m²/month to under 13 €/m²/month1412–1310 cities: 13 €/m²/month to under 14 €/m²/month1013–141 city: 14 €/m²/month to under 15 €/m²/month114–152 cities: 16 €/m²/month to under 17 €/m²/month216–17

Net rent (€/m²/month)

Annual PM2.5 across cities in SwedenOf 197 cities with data, 64 have annual PM2.5 of 4 to under 5 µg/m³.

Typical city (median): about 5.1 µg/m³

annual PM2.5, µg/m³ · measured cities in Sweden per band4 cities: 2 µg/m³ to under 3 µg/m³42–328 cities: 3 µg/m³ to under 4 µg/m³283–464 cities: 4 µg/m³ to under 5 µg/m³644–558 cities: 5 µg/m³ to under 6 µg/m³585–635 cities: 6 µg/m³ to under 7 µg/m³356–75 cities: 7 µg/m³ to under 8 µg/m³57–83 cities: 8 µg/m³ to under 9 µg/m³38–9

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Recorded crime across cities in SwedenOf 198 cities with data, 78 report 7500 to under 10000 incidents per 100,000 residents.

Typical city (median): about 9,986 incidents per 100,000 residents

recorded incidents per 100k residents · measured cities in Sweden per band2 cities: 2500 incidents per 100,000 residents to under 5000 incidents per 100,000 residents22500–50002.5k–5k21 cities: 5000 incidents per 100,000 residents to under 7500 incidents per 100,000 residents215000–75005k–7.5k78 cities: 7500 incidents per 100,000 residents to under 10000 incidents per 100,000 residents787500–100007.5k–10k63 cities: 10000 incidents per 100,000 residents to under 12500 incidents per 100,000 residents6310000–1250010k–12.5k29 cities: 12500 incidents per 100,000 residents to under 15000 incidents per 100,000 residents2912500–1500012.5k–15k3 cities: 15000 incidents per 100,000 residents to under 17500 incidents per 100,000 residents315000–1750015k–17.5k2 cities: 17500 incidents per 100,000 residents to under 20000 incidents per 100,000 residents217500–2000017.5k–20k

Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents

Public employment service in Sweden

Official job-search, registration, counselling and training routes. Private recruitment agencies are not included.

Arbetsförmedlingen — Public employment service

Swedish Public Employment Service

Job Search

A national service does not prove that an office exists in every city. City pages show an office only after an exact address is linked to that city. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Taxes in Sweden

National rates and comparable published scenarios. Personal tax depends on income, household and residence circumstances.

Top income-tax rate52.41 %
Corporate tax rate20.6 %
Employee income tax, yearly13,019 EUR/year
Employee social contributions, yearly10,652 EUR/year
Verified from the linked official or intergovernmental records. Open the primary source. Sources checked through 7 Aug 2026.

Benefits newcomers may qualify for in Sweden

Public schemes where an official source defines an eligible migration or residence status. Amounts and conditions are kept in their native terms.

ProgrammePublished amountSource and application

Barnbidrag och flerbarnstillägg — Family and child support

1,250–6,740 SEK / Monthly

Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan)

Eligibility and amount details

The official 2026 table gives SEK 1,250/month for one child and total child-benefit plus large-family supplement up to SEK 6,740/month for four children; from the fifth child the additional large-family supplement is SEK 1,250 per child/month.

Försäkringskassan states that child allowance is available when the legal custodian and child are insured in Sweden and the child lives in Sweden; EU/EEA and Switzerland coordination can affect entitlement.

Bostadsbidrag till barnfamiljer — Housing support

Amount set per household by formula / Monthly

Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan)

Eligibility and amount details

The 2026 rules raise the accepted housing-cost ceilings to SEK 6,800 for one child, SEK 7,900 for two and SEK 8,600 for three or more; the allowance itself varies with eligible housing cost, household composition and income, and the official notice states the increase can be up to SEK 800/1,000 per month.

Försäkringskassan's English eligibility section says housing allowance for families with children is available when ‘you have a child or children living with you ... you live and are registered at the address you are seeking allowance for’; the public profile is a child-housing-allowance claimant with a child living with them and registered at the claimed address under the Swedish residence rules.

Daily allowance for applicants for international protection — Arrival and reception support

37–71 SEK / Daily

Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket)

Eligibility and amount details

The official Swedish Migration Agency page states SEK 71/day for a single adult, SEK 61/day per adult with a partner or a young person aged 18–20 living with parents, SEK 50/day for ages 11–17, SEK 43/day for ages 4–10 and SEK 37/day for ages 0–3 when food is not provided.

Migrationsverket provides daily allowance to an asylum seeker who lacks sufficient own funds while waiting for a decision on the asylum application.

Ekonomiskt bistånd / försörjningsstöd (economic assistance) — Minimum-income support

Amount set per household by formula / Monthly

Municipal social-services authority

Eligibility and amount details

Socialstyrelsen Riksnorm 2026 is a household formula: adult personal costs are SEK 3,940 for a single adult and SEK 7,100 for cohabiting adults; child personal costs are SEK 2,740–5,000 by age and lunch conditions; common household costs are SEK 1,280–2,830 for 1–7 persons, plus SEK 190 for every additional person. The payable economic assistance also includes reasonable eligible costs and is reduced by household net income after tax.

The official Swedish Kunskapsguiden page states: ‘Den som inte är svensk eller nordisk medborgare ska antingen ha uppehållstillstånd eller uppehållsrätt för att ha rätt till socialt bistånd som inte är akut.’ It separately states that a person from outside the EEA always needs a valid residence permit for that non-emergency right, and that EU/EEA nationals need a residence permit or a source-defined right of residence. it does not generalise the rule to every migrant or to emergency assistance.

Unemployment insurance benefits (a-kassa) — Unemployment support

Percentage-based / Monthly

Swedish unemployment-insurance funds and Public Employment Service

Eligibility and amount details

The current Swedish unemployment-insurance page states 80% of previous salary for membership of at least 12 months, 60% for membership of 6–11 months and 50% for membership of 0–5 months; at the 80% level the maximum is SEK 27,200 before tax, with reductions after 100 and 200 benefit days.

The Swedish unemployment-insurance source states that the main rule is that a person must be insured against unemployment in the country where they work and covered by social insurance, and that the claimant must have worked in Sweden; the qualifying work condition is work in Sweden. This is the bounded profile of a worker in Sweden covered by Swedish unemployment insurance, subject to the age, income, registration, membership and other statutory conditions.

ImmigrationDB shows published rules; it does not decide personal eligibility. Confirm your status, contribution record and household circumstances with the responsible authority before applying. Sources checked through 12 Aug 2026.

Can migrants receive medical care in Sweden?

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Sweden when the official insurance or residence conditions are met.

Verified 2026-08-03. Open the official coverage rules.

Language courses and integration in Sweden

Government programmes, public integration services and exact provider records. The section expands only from fields present in the source; missing prices, refunds or contacts are not replaced with estimates.

8verified programmes
5cities with exact local records
6verified location records
5listed providers

Municipal civic orientation for newly arrived residents — Civic Orientation

Swedish municipalities

For newly arrived residents with residence permits.

In Person, Onlinefree

Swedish for immigrants (SFI) municipal adult education — State Language Course

Swedish municipalities under the national SFI framework

For persons over 16 eligible for SFI.

SwedishIn Person, Online

Göteborg municipal SFI — Municipal language course

City of Göteborg adult education

For adult immigrants in Göteborg.

SwedishIn Person, Online

Komvux Malmö SFI — Municipal language course

Malmö municipality / Komvux Malmö

For adult immigrants eligible for SFI in Malmö.

SwedishIn Person, Online

Stockholm municipal SFI — Municipal language course

City of Stockholm adult education

For adult immigrants in Stockholm.

SwedishIn Person, Online

Swedish for immigrants (SFI) in Linköping — State Language Course

Linköpings kommun / Centrum för vuxenutbildning / Linvux

For adults whose first language is not Swedish.

SwedishIn Personfree
Country programmes describe the national or named local framework. Availability in a city is shown only when a source names that place exactly. Sources checked through 2026-08-10.

Sweden cities by population

The largest published cities appear first. Population is taken from the reusable official city layer; hub labels come from the existing city taxonomy.

Open city finder
CityPopulationNet rent, €/m²/monthMedian gross salary, €/month
StockholmCapital hub999,239Population13.35Net rent, €/m²/moMedian gross salary, €/mo
Göteborg608,993Population11.83Net rent, €/m²/moMedian gross salary, €/mo
Malmö367,924Population13.04Net rent, €/m²/moMedian gross salary, €/mo
Uppsala248,016Population7.85Net rent, €/m²/moMedian gross salary, €/mo
Linköping168,714Population7.38Net rent, €/m²/moMedian gross salary, €/mo
Västerås161,240Population11.91Net rent, €/m²/moMedian gross salary, €/mo
Örebro160,687Population7.00Net rent, €/m²/moMedian gross salary, €/mo
Helsingborg152,776Population12.09Net rent, €/m²/moMedian gross salary, €/mo
Jönköping147,654Population6.88Net rent, €/m²/moMedian gross salary, €/mo
Norrköping144,980Population11.42Net rent, €/m²/moMedian gross salary, €/mo
Umeå134,249Population7.45Net rent, €/m²/moMedian gross salary, €/mo
Lund131,590Population11.73Net rent, €/m²/moMedian gross salary, €/mo
Borås114,872Population11.03Net rent, €/m²/moMedian gross salary, €/mo
Huddinge114,304Population11.49Net rent, €/m²/moMedian gross salary, €/mo
Nacka112,112Population13.97Net rent, €/m²/moMedian gross salary, €/mo
Eskilstuna107,203Population11.07Net rent, €/m²/moMedian gross salary, €/mo
Halmstad106,084Population10.97Net rent, €/m²/moMedian gross salary, €/mo
Gävle103,838Population10.11Net rent, €/m²/moMedian gross salary, €/mo
Södertälje102,911Population11.53Net rent, €/m²/moMedian gross salary, €/mo
Haninge100,895Population13.80Net rent, €/m²/moMedian gross salary, €/mo
All published cities in Sweden

Reports with this country

Accepted report pages with a row for this country.

All reports
Foreign residents822,876 people31 Dec 2025Official source · Eurostat
Population10,569,709 people31 Dec 2024Official source · World Bank
Median gross salary, monthly3,463 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Official source · Eurostat (Structure of Earnings Survey, earn_ses_monthly)
National unemployment rate8.8 %31 Dec 2025Official source · Eurostat — Unemployment by sex and age — annual data (une_rt_a)
Public healthcare access for foreign residentsConditional3 Aug 2026Official source · 1177 Vårdguiden (official Swedish healthcare information, Inera/regions)
Area528,660 km²31 Dec 2023Official source · World Bank
73 country facts · 298 cities · Last checked 2026-09-06

Sweden facts

Current source-backed observations, grouped the way the city pages are, with geographic scope and observation periods.

Population and profile

How many people live in Sweden?

The published population was 10,569,709 people in 2024. Source: World Bank41

National, resident population scope. Foreign-resident and migration-background figures are separate metrics in the table below.

How many foreign residents live in Sweden?

The foreign-resident population was 822,876 people in 2025. Source: Eurostat6

Residents without Sweden citizenship. The migration-background population is a broader measure and appears in the table below.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Foreign residents822,876 people31 Dec 2025Eurostat6Official · national figure
Population10,569,709 people31 Dec 2024World Bank41Official · national figure

Legal, tax and other context

MetricValuePeriodSource
Public healthcare access for foreign residentsConditional3 Aug 20261177 Vårdguiden (official Swedish healthcare information, Inera/regions)1Official · national figure
Area528,660 km²31 Dec 2023World Bank42Official · national figure
Cost level against the capital115.5 index (EU27=100)31 Dec 2024Eurostat — Comparative price levels and HICP (prc_ppp_ind, prc_hicp_midx)11Official · national
Gross-to-net pay for a sample householdsingle person no children — 557,053 gross → 430,932 net a year (2025, national currency)31 Dec 2025Taxing Wages 2026 — labour taxation decomposition38Official · country household scenario
Population by year10,327,589 people (2020)1 Jan 2020Population on 1 January by age and sex (DEMO_PJAN)35Official · country annual series
Salary by professionCraft and related trades workers — 300.7 EUR/month (2024)31 Dec 2024ILOSTAT — Average monthly earnings of employees by sex, occupation and currency (annual)23Official · country occupation
Doctors per 1,000 residents4.41 per 1,000Not statedPhysicians (per 1,000 people), World Development Indicators34Official · national figure
Household electricity price0.287 EUR/kWh31 Dec 2024Eurostat — Household energy prices (nrg_pc_204 electricity, nrg_pc_202 gas)13Official · national
People employed in agriculture, forestry and fishing140,000 people2024ec.europa.eu3Official · national figure
People employed in mining and quarrying11,000 people2024ec.europa.eu3Official · national figure
People employed in manufacturing574,000 people2024ec.europa.eu3Official · national figure
People employed in electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning32,000 people2024ec.europa.eu3Official · national figure
People employed in water supply, sewerage and waste management32,000 people2024ec.europa.eu3Official · national figure
People employed in construction378,000 people2024ec.europa.eu3Official · national figure
People employed in wholesale and retail trade; motor vehicle and motorcycle repair625,000 people2024ec.europa.eu3Official · national figure
People employed in transportation and storage260,000 people2024ec.europa.eu3Official · national figure
People employed in accommodation and food services204,000 people2024ec.europa.eu3Official · national figure
People employed in information and communication244,000 people2024ec.europa.eu3Official · national figure
People employed in finance and insurance112,000 people2024ec.europa.eu3Official · national figure
People employed in real estate90,000 people2024ec.europa.eu3Official · national figure
People employed in professional, scientific and technical services391,000 people2024ec.europa.eu3Official · national figure
People employed in administrative and support services295,000 people2024ec.europa.eu3Official · national figure
People employed in public administration, defence and compulsory social security245,000 people2024ec.europa.eu3Official · national figure
People employed in education539,000 people2024ec.europa.eu3Official · national figure

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

What is the unemployment rate in Sweden?

The national unemployment rate was 8.8 % in 2025. Source: Eurostat — Unemployment by sex and age — annual data (une_rt_a).

How many people live in Sweden?

The published population was 10,569,709 people in 2024. Source: World Bank.

What is the median gross salary in Sweden?

The median gross salary was 3,463 EUR/month in 2022. Source: Eurostat (Structure of Earnings Survey, earn_ses_monthly).

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation
ImmigrationDB. (2026, September 12). Moving to Sweden: salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/countries/sweden/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_moving-to-sweden-salary-cost-of-living_309d28b6f9a0,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Moving to Sweden: salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-12},
  version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/countries/sweden/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Moving to Sweden: salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/countries/sweden/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; retrieved 2026-09-12; built 2026-09-12.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

Every number above comes from one of these records. Open the original source for its geographic scope and publication date.

  1. 1177 Vårdguiden (official Swedish healthcare information, Inera/regions) 1177.se · checked 2026-08-03
  2. Brå — Reported offences, 1950–2025 Brå · bra.se · checked 2026-07-29
  3. ec.europa.eu ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-12
  4. EF EPI ef.com · checked 2026-08-03
  5. European Medicines Agency ema.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-03
  6. Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-20
  7. Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-03
  8. Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-07
  9. Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-05
  10. Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-05
Show 37 more sources
  1. Eurostat — Comparative price levels and HICP (prc_ppp_ind, prc_hicp_midx) Eurostat · ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-14
  2. Eurostat — Distribution of income by household composition (ilc_di04) Eurostat · ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-26
  3. Eurostat — Household energy prices (nrg_pc_204 electricity, nrg_pc_202 gas) Eurostat · ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-14
  4. Eurostat — National accounts aggregates (nama_10_a10) and employment (nama_10_a10_e) Eurostat · ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-26
  5. Eurostat — Unemployment by sex and age — annual data (une_rt_a) Eurostat · ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-26
  6. Eurostat (Structure of Earnings Survey, earn_ses_monthly) ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-03
  7. Eurostat crim_off_cat (ICCS0101, NR) ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-05
  8. Eurostat demo_pjan ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-05
  9. Eurostat ilc_di03 ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-06
  10. GDP per capita (current US$), World Development Indicators api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-07-14
  11. Globalization and World Cities (GaWC), Loughborough University gawc.lboro.ac.uk · checked 2026-08-03
  12. Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) data.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-13
  13. ILOSTAT — Average monthly earnings of employees by sex, occupation and currency (annual) ILOSTAT · rplumber.ilo.org · checked 2026-07-30
  14. Life expectancy at birth, total (years), World Development Indicators api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-07-14
  15. MIPEX mirovni-institut.si · checked 2026-08-03
  16. OECD sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-07
  17. OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-03
  18. OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-07
  19. OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-07
  20. OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-07
  21. OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-07
  22. OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-05
  23. Physicians (per 1,000 people) data.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-13
  24. Physicians (per 1,000 people), World Development Indicators api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-07-14
  25. Population on 1 January by age and sex (DEMO_PJAN) ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-29
  26. Skatteverket, Sweden skatteverket.se · checked 2026-08-03
  27. Swedish Food Agency (Livsmedelsverket) livsmedelsverket.se · checked 2026-08-03
  28. Taxing Wages 2026 — labour taxation decomposition Taxing Wages 2026 · sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-07-29
  29. WHO GHO RS_196/RS_198 ghoapi.azureedge.net · checked 2026-09-05
  30. WHO GHO RS_196/RS_198 ghoapi.azureedge.net · checked 2026-09-05
  31. World Bank api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-02
  32. World Bank api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-02
  33. World Bank api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-02
  34. World Bank Open Data api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-07
  35. World Bank Open Data api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-07
  36. World Bank SP.POP.TOTL api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-09-05
  37. OECD — Taxing Wages (DF_TAXINGWAGES) tax wedge and net income OECD · oecd.org · checked 2026-07-14