Skip to content
World Health Systems Facts

Sweden: Long-Term Care

Sweden: Long-Term Care

Swedish Health System Overview
Health System Rankings
Health System Outcomes
Health System Coverage
Costs for Consumers
Health System Expenditures
Sweden’s COVID-19 Policy

Health System Financing
Medical Personnel
Health System Physical Resources and Utilization
Long-Term Care
Medical Training
Pharmaceuticals

Political System
Economic System
Population Demographics
People With Disabilities
Aging
Social Determinants & Health Equity
Health System History
Health System Challenges


Population, Mid-Year 2019: 10,036,000
Projected Population Mid-Year 2030: 10,630,000
Percentage of Population Under Age 25 Years, Mid-Year 2019: 29%
Percentage of Population 65 Years Or Over, Mid-Year 2019: 20%

Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2019). World Population Prospects 2019: Data Booklet (ST/ESA/SER.A/424).


Percent of Adults aged 65 and over rating their own health as fair, poor or very poor, 2019: 37.4%
People With Dementia Per 1,000 Population (2021): 18.7
Projected Number of People With Dementia Per 1,000 Population in 2050: 27.7
Long-Term Care Workers Per 100 Population Aged 65 And Over (2019): 12
Long-Term Care Beds In Institutions and Hospitals Per 1,000 Population Aged 65 And Over (2019): 68.1
Long-Term Care Spending as a Share of GDP (%) (2019): 3.4%

Source: OECD (2021), Health at a Glance 2021: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/ae3016b9-en.


Formal Long-Term Care Workers (Nurses and Personal Carers) (FTE) (2020): 182,935
Formal Long-Term Care Workers (FTE) Per 100 Population Aged 65 Years and Older (2020): 8.9
Long-Term Care Recipients In Institutions Other Than Hospitals (2020): 114,174
Long-Term Care Recipients At Home (2020): 370,856

Source: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. OECD.Stat. Last accessed Jan. 4, 2023.


“In 2006, the proportion of older people (65 years and older) receiving home-help services was 8.9% and the proportion living in special housing was 6.2%. The total proportion of older people receiving help either in their home or in special housing has remained fairly stable during the period 2002–2006 but there has been a shift from special housing towards home-help services. The definition of home-help changed in 2006, which makes comparison between the period before and after 2006 difficult. It has however gradually become less likely that a person will receive home-help services over the past two decades due to tougher prioritization of municipal resources and this has led to more help by informal carers.

“The proportion receiving help, according to the new definition, was stable during 2007–2009 and amounted to 18.4% in 2009, where home-help services accounted for 5.7% (National Board of Health and Welfare, 2011a). This reflects the main concept guiding care for older people in Sweden today, namely that older people should be enabled to continue living in their own homes for as long as possible. More than 90% of people aged 65 and over reside in their ordinary homes. Home-based care is possible since a great majority of older people in Sweden enjoy good health in older age, and because of modern housing standards and flexibility in services. Although the proportion receiving help has remained stable during the past few years, the number of people aged 65 years and over receiving help has increased. In 2009, some 301 200 older people received help, of whom 205 800 were granted home-help services in ordinary housing. The total number of hours allocated to home-based services and services in special housing amounted to 4.5 million in 2009 compared to 3.8 million in 2002 (National Board of Health and Welfare, 2011a).”

Source: Anell A, Glenngård AH, Merkur S. Sweden: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2012, 14(5):1–159.


“The responsibility for means testing, and the financing and organization of long-term care services for older people and providing support to people with disabilities lies with the municipalities in Sweden. However, the medical responsibility rests with the county councils. The 1992 ÄDEL reform shifted the responsibility for care for older people from the county councils to the municipalities. Municipalities are required to arrange care for dependants after acute and/or geriatric hospital treatment. The Social Services Act of 1980, revised in 2001, is a framework law emphasizing the right of individuals to receive municipal services. It specifies that older people have the right to receive public services and help at all stages of life. In addition, older and disabled people are normally entitled to subsidized transport to health care facilities. Problems with coordination of care for older people have been on the agenda for many years and several efforts towards solving this issue have been made (see section 6.1.3 Improved coordinated care for older people).

“The municipalities’ expenditures for long-term care for older people amounted to slightly more than SEK 89 billion (€10 billion) in 2006, of which 60% was for special housing (e.g. nursing homes), almost 39% for home-help services in ordinary housing and less than 2% was allocated to other services (öppna verksamheter) (National Board of Health and Welfare, 2011a). People with disabilities are entitled to support under the Social Services Act and under special legislation, namely the Act Concerning Support and Service for People with Certain Functional Impairments (1993). This Act includes support in the form of personal assistance, contact people and daily activities.”

Source: Anell A, Glenngård AH, Merkur S. Sweden: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2012, 14(5):1–159.


“As in other EU countries, Sweden faces the challenge of responding to the growing health and long-term care needs of an ageing population in the coming decades. Budgetary pressures are projected to come not only from health care expenditure but also, and even more importantly, from long-term care expenditure. According to the latest projections from the European Commission’s Ageing Working Group, public spending on long-term care in Sweden may grow by 1.7 percentage points of GDP between 2016 and 2070, while public spending on health may grow by about 1 percentage point of GDP (European Commission-EPC, 2018). This highlights the challenge of responding efficiently to the growing needs of health and long-term care in the years ahead.”

Source: OECD/European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (2019), Sweden: Country Health Profile 2019, State of Health in the EU, OECD Publishing, Paris/European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, Brussels.


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


Page last updated Jan. 4, 2023 by Doug McVay, Editor.

  • Home
  • About Health Systems Facts
    • Contact Us
    • Join Our Email List
  • Breaking News & Opinion
  • Upcoming Events
  • Seventeen National Health Systems
    • Austria
    • Canada
    • Costa Rica
    • Czech Republic
    • Denmark
    • France
    • Germany
    • Hungary
    • Italy
    • Japan
    • Netherlands
    • South Korea
    • Spain
    • Sweden
    • Switzerland
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
  • Comparing National Health Systems
    • Healthcare Access and Quality Index
    • Sustainable Development Goals Health Index
    • Mirror Mirror 2021
    • World Health Report 2000
    • International Health Systems In Perspective
    • Lessons for US Health Reform
  • Aging
  • Health System Outcomes
  • Healthcare Spending
  • Healthcare Workers
    • Health System Personnel
    • Health Workforce Training
  • Information and Communications Technologies
  • Long-Term Services and Supports
  • People With Disabilities
  • Pharmaceutical Pricing and Regulation
  • Social Determinants & Health Equity
  • Wasteful Spending
  • Various US Health System Proposals
    • Affordable Care Act
    • All Payer
    • Public Option
    • Single Payer / “Medicare For All”
    • Universal Health Coverage
  • Recommended Resources
  • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

© 2019-2022 Real Reporting Foundation | Theme by WordPress Theme Detector

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
_GRECAPTCHA5 months 27 daysThis cookie is set by Google. In addition to certain standard Google cookies, reCAPTCHA sets a necessary cookie (_GRECAPTCHA) when executed for the purpose of providing its risk analysis.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertisement".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
CookieDurationDescription
_ga2 yearsThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gat_UA-71314304-21 minuteThis is a pattern type cookie set by Google Analytics, where the pattern element on the name contains the unique identity number of the account or website it relates to. It appears to be a variation of the _gat cookie which is used to limit the amount of data recorded by Google on high traffic volume websites.
_gcl_au3 monthsThis cookie is used by Google Analytics to understand user interaction with the website.
_gid1 dayThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the website is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages visted in an anonymous form.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
CookieDurationDescription
IDE1 year 24 daysUsed by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
test_cookie15 minutesThis cookie is set by doubleclick.net. The purpose of the cookie is to determine if the user's browser supports cookies.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by CookieYes Logo