Employment in Sweden

Sweden: Employment was 5,235 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
5,235
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
79th
of 188 countries
All-time high
5,238
in 2023
All-time low
4,040
in 1997
Years of data
35
1991–2025

Employment in Sweden, 1991–2025

02.0k4.0k6.0k1991200820251991: 4.5k1992: 4.3k1993: 4.1k1994: 4.0k1995: 4.1k1996: 4.1k1997: 4.0k1998: 4.1k1999: 4.2k2000: 4.2k2001: 4.3k2002: 4.4k2003: 4.4k2004: 4.3k2005: 4.3k2006: 4.4k2007: 4.5k2008: 4.6k2009: 4.5k2010: 4.5k2011: 4.6k2012: 4.6k2013: 4.7k2014: 4.7k2015: 4.8k2016: 4.9k2017: 5.0k2018: 5.1k2019: 5.1k2020: 5.0k2021: 5.0k2022: 5.2k2023: 5.2k2024: 5.2k2025: 5.2k

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

In 2025, employment in Sweden stood at 5,235.

That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 9.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, employment in Sweden peaked at 5,238 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 4,040, in 1997.

Sweden ranks 79th of 188 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.

Employment in Sweden, year by year

Annual values for Employment (ILO modelled estimates) in Sweden, 1991 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1991 4,524
1992 4,328 -4.3%
1993 4,082 -5.7%
1994 4,043 -1.0%
1995 4,125 +2.0%
1996 4,090 -0.9%
1997 4,040 -1.2%
1998 4,069 +0.7%
1999 4,172 +2.5%
2000 4,241 +1.7%
2001 4,342 +2.4%
2002 4,352 +0.2%
2003 4,350 -0.0%
2004 4,311 -0.9%
2005 4,348 +0.9%
2006 4,429 +1.9%
2007 4,545 +2.6%
2008 4,598 +1.2%
2009 4,502 -2.1%
2010 4,517 +0.3%
2011 4,612 +2.1%
2012 4,631 +0.4%
2013 4,680 +1.1%
2014 4,724 +0.9%
2015 4,793 +1.4%
2016 4,878 +1.8%
2017 4,973 +2.0%
2018 5,054 +1.6%
2019 5,085 +0.6%
2020 5,011 -1.5%
2021 5,020 +0.2%
2022 5,172 +3.0%
2023 5,238 +1.3%
2024 5,221 -0.3%
2025 5,235 +0.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 4,164 4,040 4,524 9
2000s 4,402 4,241 4,598 10
2010s 4,795 4,517 5,085 10
2020s 5,150 5,011 5,238 6

Countries ranked near Sweden

  1. 76 Senegal 5,964 compare
  2. 77 Syrian Arab Republic 5,847 compare
  3. 78 Czechia 5,282 compare
  4. 80 Dominican Republic 5,232 compare
  5. 81 Rwanda 5,179 compare
  6. 82 Belgium 5,062 compare

See the full ranking of 276 places →

More work & labour data for Sweden

All data for Sweden →

Frequently asked questions

What is employment in Sweden?
Employment in Sweden was 5,235 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest employment recorded in Sweden?
The highest recorded value was 5,238 in 2023.
What is the lowest employment recorded in Sweden?
The lowest recorded value was 4,040 in 1997.
How does Sweden rank for employment?
Sweden ranks 79th out of 188 countries with data for 2025.
Is employment rising or falling in Sweden?
Over the last ten years it is up 9.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Sweden data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Employment (ILO modelled estimates). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Employment in Sweden. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/employment-ilo-modelled-estimates/sweden/

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About this data

Indicator
Employment (ILO modelled estimates)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
276 places, 9,646 data points, 1991–2025
Last refreshed

Imputed observations are not based on national data, are subject to high uncertainty and should not be used for country comparisons or rankings. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. The employed comprise all persons of working age who, during a specified brief period, were in one of the following categories: a) paid employment (whether at work or with a job but not at work); or b) self-employment (whether at work or with an enterprise but not at work). Data disaggregated by economic activity are provided according to the latest version of the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC) available for that year. Data may have been regrouped from national classifications, which may not be strictly compatible with ISIC. For more information, refer to the ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.