Sweden: Health System Overview - World Health Systems Facts

Life expectancy at birth (years), 2021: 82.7
Maternal mortality ratio (per 100,000 live births), 2023: 4
Under-five mortality rate (per 1000 live births), 2023: 2.5
Neonatal mortality rate (per 1000 live births), 2023: 1.4
Tuberculosis incidence (per 100,000 population), 2023: 3.7
Probability of dying from any of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease between age 30 and exact age 70 (%), 2021: 7.9%
Suicide mortality rate (per 100,000 population), 2021: 13.8
Adolescent birth rate (per 1000 women aged 15-19 years), 2015-2024: 2.0
Adolescent birth rate (per 1000 women aged 10-14 years), 2015-2024: 0.0
Universal Health Coverage: Service coverage index, 2021: ≥80
Diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP3) immunization coverage among 1-year-olds (%), 2023: 94%
Measles-containing-vaccine second-dose (MCV2) immunization coverage by the locally recommended age (%), 2023: 92%
Pneumococcal conjugate 3rd dose (PCV3) immunization coverage among 1-year olds (%), 2023: 94%
Human papillomavirus (HPV) immunization coverage estimates among 15 year-old girls (%), 2023: 88%
Density of medical doctors (per 10,000 population), 2015-2023: 44.08
Density of nursing and midwifery personnel (per 10,000 population), 2016-2023: 116.65
Density of dentists (per 10,000 population), 2016-2023: 7.74
Density of pharmacists (per 10,000 population), 2015-2023: 7.83
Domestic general government health expenditure (GGHE-D) as percentage of general government expenditure (GGE) (%), 2022: 19.01%
Prevalence of anaemia in women aged 15-49 years (%), 2023: 16.8%

Source: World health statistics 2025: monitoring health for the SDGs, Sustainable Development Goals. Tables of health statistics by country and area, WHO region and globally. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2025. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.

Health expenditure per capita, USD PPP, 2022
– Government/compulsory: $5,525
– Voluntary/Out-of-pocket: $913
– Total: $6,438
Health expenditure as a share of GDP, 2022
– Government/compulsory: 9.2%
– Voluntary/out-of-pocket: 1.5%
Health expenditure by type of financing, 2021
– Government schemes: 86%
– Compulsory health insurance: 0%
– Voluntary health insurance: 1%
– Out-of-pocket: 13%
– Other: 0%
Out-of-pocket spending on health as share of final household consumption, 2021: 3.4%
Price levels in the healthcare sector, 2021 (OECD average = 100): 125
Population reporting unmet needs for medical care, by income level, 2021
– Lowest quintile: 1.7%
– Highest quintile: 0.6%
– Total: 1.2%
Main reason for reporting unmet needs for medical care, 2021
– Waiting list: 1.2%
– Too expensive: 0.0%
– Too far to travel: 0.0%
Population reporting unmet needs for dental care, by income level, 2021
– Lowest quintile: 4.9%
– Highest quintile: 0.4%
– Total: 1.8%
Population coverage for a core set of services, 2021
– Total public coverage: 100%
– Primary private health coverage: 0%
Population aged 15 years and over rating their own health as bad or very bad, 2021: 6.4%
Population aged 15 years and over rating their own health as good or very good, by income quintile, 2021
– Highest quintile: 81.9%
– Lowest quintile: 62.8%
– Total: 72.3%
Life expectancy at birth, 2021: 83.1
Infant mortality, deaths per 1,000 live births, 2021: 2.4
Maternal mortality rate, deaths per 100,000 live births, 2020: 4.5
Congestive heart failure hospital admission in adults, age-sex standardized rate per 100,000 population, 2021: 196
Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease hospital admissions in adults, age-sex standardized rate per 100,000 population, 2021: 105
Practicing doctors per 1,000 population, 2021: 4.3
Share of different categories of doctors, 2021
– General practitioners: 14.1%
– Specialists: 51.2%
– Other doctors: 34.7%
Share of foreign-trained doctors, 2021: 30.2%
Medical graduates per 100,000 population, 2021: 14.2
Practicing nurses per 1,000 population, 2021: 10.7
Share of foreign-trained nurses, 2021: 3.5%
Nursing graduates per 100,000 population, 2021: 44.1
Ratio of nurses to doctors, 2021: 2.5
Practicing pharmacists per 100,000 population, 2021: 77
Community pharmacies per 100,000 population, 2021: 14
Remuneration of doctors, ratio to average wage, 2021
– General Practitioners
– Salaried: 2.3
– Specialists
– Salaried: 2.2
Remuneration of hospital nurses, ratio to average wage, 2021: 1.0
Remuneration of hospital nurses, USD PPP, 2021: $48,000
Hospital beds per 1,000 population, 2021: 2.0
Average length of stay in hospital, 2021: 5.5 days
Average number of in-person doctor consultations per person, 2021: 2.3
CT scanners per million population, 2021: 23
MRI units per million population, 2021: 17
PET scanners per million population, 2021: 2
Proportion of primary care practices using electronic medical records, 2021: 100%
Expenditure on retail pharmaceuticals per capita, USD PPP, 2021
– Prescription medicines: $392
– Over-the-counter medicines: $133
– Total: $525
Expenditure on retail pharmaceuticals by type of financing, 2021:
– Government/compulsory schemes: 57%
– Voluntary health insurance schemes: 0%
– Out-of-pocket spending: 43%
– Other: 0%
Share of the population aged 65 and over, 2021: 20.0%
Share of the population aged 65 and over, 2050: 23.7%
Share of the population aged 80 and over, 2021: 5.2%
Share of the population aged 80 and over, 2050: 9.0%
Adults aged 65 and over rating their own health as good or very good, 2021: 62%
Adults aged 65 and over rating their own health as poor or very poor, by income, 2021
– Lowest quintile: 13%
– Highest quintile: 5%
– Total: 9%
Limitations in daily activities in adults aged 65 and over, 2021
– Severe Limitations: 7%
– Some Limitations: 21%
Share of adults aged 65 and over receiving long-term care, 2021: 15.7%
Estimated prevalence of dementia per 1,000 population, 2021: 14.7
Estimated prevalence of dementia per 1,000 population, 2040: 18.3
Total long-term care spending as a share of GDP, 2021: 3.4%
Long-term care workers per 100 people aged 65 and over, 2021: 11.7
Share of informal carers among the population aged 50 and over, 2019
– Daily carers: 4
– Weekly carers: 10
Share of long-term care workers who work part time or on fixed contracts, 2021
– Part-time: 50.3%
– Fixed-term contract: 26.8%
Average hourly wages of personal care workers, as a share of economy-wide average wage, 2018
– Residential (facility-based) care: 80%
– Home-based care: 78%
Long-term care beds in institutions and hospitals per 1,000 population aged 65 years and over, 2021
– Institutions: 63.9
Long-term care recipients aged 65 and over receiving care at home, 2021: 77%
Total long-term care spending by provider, 2021
– Nursing home: 58%
– Hospital: 0%
– Home care: 26%
– Households: 0%
– Social providers: 16%
– Other: 1%

Source: OECD (2023), Health at a Glance 2023: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris, doi.org/10.1787/7a7afb35-en.

Population, Midyear 2022: 10,549,347
Population Density (Number of Persons per Square Kilometer): 25.90
Life Expectancy at Birth, 2022: 83.51
Infant Mortality Rate, 2022 (per 1,000 live births): 1.83
Under-Five Mortality Rate, 2022 (per 1,000 live births): 2.23
Projected Population, Midyear 2030: 11,007,228
Percentage of Total Population Aged 65 and Older, Midyear 2022: 20.25%
Projected Percentage of Total Population Aged 65 and Older, Midyear 2030: 21.84%
Projected Percentage of Total Population Aged 65 and Older, Midyear 2050: 24.76%

Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2023). Data Portal, custom data acquired via website. United Nations: New York. Accessed 12 May 2023.

Population, 2021: 10,467,000
Annual Population Growth Rate, 2020-2030: 0.5%
Life Expectancy at Birth, 2021: 83
Share of Urban Population, 2021: 88%
Annual Growth Rate of Urban Population, 2020-2030: 0.8%
Neonatal Mortality Rate, 2021: 1
Infant Mortality Rate, 2021: 2
Under-5 Mortality Rate, 2021: 2
Maternal Mortality Ratio, 2020: 5
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: “Under-5 mortality rate – Probability of dying between birth and exactly 5 years of age, expressed per 1,000 live births.
“Infant mortality rate – Probability of dying between birth and exactly 1 year of age, expressed per 1,000 live births.
“Neonatal mortality rate – Probability of dying during the first 28 days of life, expressed per 1,000 live births.”
“Maternal mortality ratio – Number of deaths of women from pregnancy-related causes per 100,000 live births during the same time period (modelled estimates).”
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.

Current health expenditure (CHE) per capita in US$, 2022: $5,943.36

Source: Global Health Observatory. Current health expenditure (CHE) per capita in US$. Geneva: World Health Organization. Last accessed Jan. 23, 2025.

Out-of-pocket expenditure (OOP) per capita in US$, 2022: $765.14

Source: Global Health Observatory. Out-of-pocket expenditure (OOP) per capita in US$. Geneva: World Health Organization. Last accessed Jan. 23, 2025.

Out-of-pocket expenditure as percentage of current health expenditure (CHE) (%), 2022: 12.87%

Source: Global Health Observatory. Out-of-pocket expenditure as percentage of current health expenditure (CHE) (%). Geneva: World Health Organization. Last accessed Jan. 23, 2025.

Domestic private health expenditure (PVT-D) as percentage of current health expenditure (CHE) (%), 2022: 14.05%

Source: Global Health Observatory. Domestic private health expenditure (PVT-D) as percentage of current health expenditure (CHE) (%). Geneva: World Health Organization. Last accessed Jan. 23, 2025.

Domestic private health expenditure (PVT-D) per capita in US$, 2022: $834.84

Source: Global Health Observatory. Domestic private health expenditure (PVT-D) per capita in US$. Geneva: World Health Organization. Last accessed Jan. 23, 2025.

Domestic general government health expenditure (GGHE-D) as percentage of current health expenditure (CHE) (%), 2022: 85.95%

Source: Global Health Observatory. Domestic general government health expenditure (GGHE-D) as percentage of current health expenditure (CHE) (%). Geneva: World Health Organization. Last accessed Jan. 23, 2025.

Domestic general government health expenditure (GGHE-D) as percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) (%), 2022: 9.02%

Source: Global Health Observatory. Domestic general government health expenditure (GGHE-D) as percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) (%). Geneva: World Health Organization. Last accessed Jan. 23, 2025.

Domestic general government health expenditure (GGHE-D) per capita in US$, 2022: $5,108.52

Source: Global Health Observatory. Domestic general government health expenditure (GGHE-D) per capita in US$. Geneva: World Health Organization. Last accessed Jan. 23, 2025.

Annual household out-of-pocket payment in current USD per capita, 2021: $929

Source: Global Health Expenditure Database. Health expenditure series. Geneva: World Health Organization. Last accessed May 13, 2023.

Total Health Spending, USD PPP Per Capita (2020): $5,734

(Note: “Health spending measures the final consumption of health care goods and services (i.e. current health expenditure) including personal health care (curative care, rehabilitative care, long-term care, ancillary services and medical goods) and collective services (prevention and public health services as well as health administration), but excluding spending on investments. Health care is financed through a mix of financing arrangements including government spending and compulsory health insurance (“Government/compulsory”) as well as voluntary health insurance and private funds such as households’ out-of-pocket payments, NGOs and private corporations (“Voluntary”). This indicator is presented as a total and by type of financing (“Government/compulsory”, “Voluntary”, “Out-of-pocket”) and is measured as a share of GDP, as a share of total health spending and in USD per capita (using economy-wide PPPs).”

Source: OECD (2023), Health spending (indicator). doi: 10.1787/8643de7e-en (Accessed on 06 September 2023).

“According to the Health and Medical Services Act, the Swedish system provides coverage for all residents of Sweden (for adult asylum seekers and undocumented migrants separate rules apply, see Section 7.2 Accessibility). In addition, emergency coverage is provided to all patients from the EU and the European Economic Area (EEA), and nine other countries with which Sweden has bilateral agreements. The services available are highly subsidized and some services are provided free of charge. Diagnosis and treatment are the principal tasks of medical care, but no basic or essential health care or drug package is defined. Instead, there are some definitions as to what does and does not fall within the domain of health care, and some general guidelines exist as to the priorities of the health care sector.”

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.

“There is no predefined benefits package. The Health and Medical Services Act instead states that responsible health care authorities are obliged to provide care on the basis of need to all residents of Sweden in line with the general principles for priorities (see Section 2.7.3 Regulation of Services and Goods) and the financial resources available. At an overall level, the supply of health care services is specified via regulatory authorities in terms of recommended forms of treatment; for example, via health technology assessment assessments or cost-effectiveness analysis for subsidy decisions regarding prescribed medicines. The general principle is that the treatments and medicines that the regulatory authorities regard as cost-effective should be offered to the population, and the interventions that are no longer cost-effective should be phased out. For pharmaceuticals, the rarity of conditions may also be included in the cost-effectiveness analysis. Within these frameworks, individual priorities are then made by both health care authorities and specific health care units and care providers, which creates scope for variations.”

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.

“Access to health care is to be considered a universal right for all citizens of Sweden. However, patients do not have a legal right to demand health care services. Instead, responsible principals/care providers are obliged to provide health care to all residents according to an ethical platform stating the three main principles (see Section 2.7.3 Regulation of services and goods). In other words, the politically determined allocation of funds to health care therefore sets the resource frame, and within this the care providers are guided by the ethical platform in their priorities. The system means that the priorities are thoroughly decentralized within the system, ultimately to individual doctors, which creates considerable room for variation. In practice though, patients are almost invariably provided with services and explicit prioritization rarely occurs.

“There are user charges for both health care visits and prescription drugs. For outpatient visits flat rate fees are charged up to a total maximum of SEK 1 300 (EUR 117) per 12-month period, after which the care is free of charge. Children under 18 and those aged 85 and above are exempt from user charges in outpatient care. For prescription drugs, there is a special fee model where the patient’s co-payment gradually increases up to a cost ceiling of SEK 2 600 (EUR 234) per 12-month period. Those under 18 are generally exempt from user charges for prescription drugs (see Section 3.4 Out-of-pocket payments). The level of cost-sharing by user charges has also decreased over time.”

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.

“All Swedish residents are covered for health services, regardless of nationality. The national government is responsible for regulation and supervision, and the 21 Swedish counties have responsibility for financing, purchasing and providing health services. The counties oversee primary, specialist and psychiatric health care, while the 290 municipalities are responsible for care for people with disabilities, rehabilitation services, home care, social care for children and adults, elderly care and school health care. The governance structures established to manage the COVID-19 pandemic included a variety of authorities across levels of government (Box 2).”

Source: OECD/European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (2021), Sweden: Country Health Profile 2021, State of Health in the EU, OECD Publishing, Paris/European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, Brussels.

“All residents are intended to have equal access to health care services under a largely decentralized system financed mainly through local taxes and some small user charges. Although quality of care and equity of access are good by international standards, long waiting times for elective care have been a cause of dissatisfaction for a number of years.”

Source: Caj Skoglund. “Sweden.” In Voluntary health insurance in Europe: Country experience [Internet]. Sagan A, Thomson S, editors. Copenhagen (Denmark): European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies; 2016. Observatory Studies Series, No. 42.

“Coverage is universal in Sweden, with health services either freely available or with small co-payments. User charges are set by the regions. For 2021, fees were SEK 100-300 (EUR 10-30) for a primary care visit, up to SEK 400 (EUR 40) for a specialist visit – which is lower with a referral – and SEK 100 (EUR 10) per day of hospitalisation for an adult. User fees for medical consultations are capped at SEK 1,150 (EUR 115) per individual per year, and for prescribed medicines at SEK 2,350 (EUR 235). Exemptions from user charges apply for people under 20, older people and pregnant women.”

“Sweden’s health system provides universal population coverage for a broad basket of services. The majority of OOP is thus attributable to cost sharing requirements. These include co-payments for most health services adults use in Sweden, including hospitalization. Co-payments for health care visits and hospitalization vary across the 21 counties although policies have converged over time. Co-payments are differentiated to steer patients towards use of primary care during office hours. Co-payments for visits to specialist doctors without a referral are about twice as much as for a regular visit to a primary care doctor. In most counties children below age 20 are exempt from co-payments. There is a combined cap for each 12 month period determined at the national level, maximizing total co-payments for outpatient care. Deductibles, co-payments and caps for prescription drugs and dental care are determined fully at the national level. Dental care for individuals under age 22 is free. For adults, there is a deductible of SEK 1000 (€103) for prescription drugs followed by a stepwise increase in subsidies ending in a 12 months cap of SEK 2200 (€226). For dental care to adults, the deductible is SEK 3000 (€308), followed by increase in co-insurance to 85% above SEK 15,000 but without an overall cap. Additional minor changes in terms of additional subsidies for dental care to elderly were introduced in 2013. In 2009, prescription cost-sharing policy was changed such that patients now usually pay the full price for generic alternatives that are not the lowest cost generic. In 2012 cost-sharing limits on prescriptions as well as for outpatient services were increased (from SEK 1800 to SEK 2200 (€ 185–226) and SEK 900 to SEK 1100 (€ 92–113) respectively). These increased cost sharing requirements seem not to have had great impact on the average growth rate in 2004–2014, which was lower than in the previous period. This can perhaps be explained by the fact that the requirements were relatively minor and partially offset by better dental benefits.”

Source: Rice, Thomas et al. “Revisiting out-of-pocket requirements: trends in spending, financial access barriers, and policy in ten high-income countries.” BMC health services research vol. 18,1 371. 18 May. 2018, doi:10.1186/s12913-018-3185-8.

“Some 14% of health spending in Sweden is funded out of pocket – slightly lower than the EU average (15 %). Co-payments are applied to almost all types of services and goods, with the exceptions of maternal and child health services provided in primary care settings and some services for people aged over 85. The regions set the co-payments independently, and the co-payment structure provides an incentive to consult primary care providers over hospital visits. Only the co-payments for prescribed medicines and dental services are set at the national level. Most out-of-pocket spending goes on pharmaceuticals and dental care, as these services are generally less covered than hospital inpatient and outpatient care (Figure 14).”

“Health care in Denmark and Sweden is based on the Beveridge model, but traditionally managed and financed by local government, not by central government, whereas in the Netherlands, it is based on the Bismarck model. The Netherlands, however, spends a similar percentage of its GDP on health care to that of Denmark and Sweden. Hence, differences within the broad categories of the families of Bismarck and Beveridge models may be as important as the differences between these categories.”

Source: Bevan G, Helderman JK, Wilsford D: Changing choices in health care: implications for equity, efficiency and cost. Health Econ Policy Law. 2010, 5 (3): 251-67. 10.1017/S1744133110000022.

“Swedish policy states that every regional council must provide residents with good-quality health and medical care, and work to promote good health for the entire population. Regional councils cover dental care costs for local residents up to the age of 19, as of 1 January 2025. (During 2024, costs are covered for local residents up to the age of 23).

“Regional councils are political bodies whose representatives are elected by region residents every four years on the same day as national general elections.

“Sweden’s municipalities are responsible for care for the elderly in the home or in special accommodation. Their duties also include care for people with physical disabilities or psychological disorders and providing support and services for people released from hospital care as well as for school healthcare.”

Source: The Swedish Institute. “Healthcare In Sweden.” Last accessed December 19, 2024.

Sweden: Health System Overview - National Policies - World Health Systems Facts

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 June 19, 2025 by Doug McVay, Editor.