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Population, 2021: 10.42 Million
Gross National Income, Atlas method (Current USD) (Billions), 2021: $630.47
GNI per capita, Atlas method (Current USD), 2021: $60,530
Income Share Held by Lowest 20% (2021): 7.8%
Gross Domestic Product (Current USD) (Billions), 2021: $637.19

Source: World Development Indicators database. Country: Sweden. World Bank. Accessed March 16, 2025.

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Gross Domestic Product Per Capita (Current USD), 2010-2019: $51,648
Share of Household Income, 2010-2019
– Bottom 40%: 21%
– Top 20%: 38%
– Bottom 20%: 8%
Gini Coefficient, 2010-2019: 28
Palma Index of Income Inequality, 2010-2019: 1.0

Note: Gini coefficient – Gini index measures the extent to which the distribution of income (or, in some cases, consumption expenditure) among individuals or households within an economy deviates from a perfectly equal distribution. A Gini index of 0 represents perfect equality, while an index of 100 implies perfect inequality.
Palma index of income inequality – Palma index is defined as the ratio of the richest 10% of the population’s share of gross national income divided by the poorest 40%’s share.

Source: United Nations Children’s Fund, The State of the World’s Children 2023: For every child, vaccination, UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight, Florence, April 2023.

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“The Swedish economy is based on services, heavy industries and international trade. Timber, hydropower and iron ore constitute the resource base of the economy, which is heavily oriented toward foreign trade. In 2020, about 80% of GDP measured as value added was produced in the private sector where services account for the major part (Statistics Sweden, 2022e).

“A distinctive feature of Swedish welfare policy is that it is largely universal, namely, public services and social transfers are designed as social rights that cover the entire population in different life situations, not just vulnerable groups (Ministry of Finance, 2017). Consequently, Sweden has a comprehensive public sector, with total public expenditure accounting for about half of Sweden’s GDP (measured in terms of consumption). The largest share (38%) comprises transfers to cover social protection (such as old age pensions but also expenses for care for elderly individuals, such as home services and special accommodation). Health care is the second largest part followed by education, general public services and economic affairs. The share of public expenditure in GDP on social protection and health care has been fairly stable since 2011, and varied between 27.9% and 25.9% (Eurostat, 2022a).”

Source: Janlöv N, Blume S, Glenngård AH, Hanspers K, Anell A, Merkur S. Sweden: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2023; 25(3): i–198.

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“Sweden is a strong knowledge-based economy, well integrated in global value chains, which ensures high standards of living, well-being, income and gender equality, as well as a high environmental quality to its inhabitants. Growth has been broad-based over the past five years, with consumption, investment and exports all contributing significantly. Meanwhile, strong domestic demand has pushed up imports (Figure 1).

“Measures of the output gap and indicators of capacity utilisation suggest the economy is operating close to full capacity (Figure 2). Even so, monetary policy remains expansionary, while fiscal policy is slightly expansionary.

“Sweden’s employment rate is the highest in the European Union, reflecting the strength of the economy, high participation of women and labour market institutions generating strong work incentives (Figure 3). Labour shortages appear in various economic sectors, even though the unemployment rate remains higher than the OECD average (Figure 4). Unemployment is now concentrated among the most vulnerable groups, notably the low-skilled and immigrants, which makes further reductions more challenging, notwithstanding some recent progress.

“Productivity growth is among the highest in the OECD, even though it has slowed over the past decade, following the global trend. Nevertheless, it is uneven across sectors, and there is scope for improvement, particularly in sectors with relatively limited exposure to foreign competition. Early adoption and diffusion of technology can foster productivity growth, raise competitiveness and provide the opportunity to develop new economic processes, which could lift well-being, as well as help tackle essential issues such as climate change and the consequences of population ageing. However, it also raises concerns that many jobs could be at risk of automation, with consequences for employment, skills requirements, social protection and income inequality.”

Source: OECD (2019), OECD Economic Surveys: Sweden 2019, OECD Publishing, Paris.

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World Health Systems Facts is a project of the Real Reporting Foundation. We provide reliable statistics and other data from authoritative sources regarding health systems and policies in the US and sixteen other nations.

Page last updated March 31, 2025 by Doug McVay, Editor.