Employment in Sweden
Sweden: Employment was 5,329 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
5,329
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
61st
of 174 countries
All-time high
5,336
in 2023
All-time low
3,917
in 1997
Years of data
39
1987–2025
Employment in Sweden, 1987–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, employment in Sweden stood at 5,329.
That represents a change of up 0.5% on the previous year and up 10.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in Sweden peaked at 5,336 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 3,917, in 1997.
That places Sweden 61st out of 174 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.
Employment in Sweden, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 4,316 | — |
| 1988 | 4,375 | +1.4% |
| 1989 | 4,442 | +1.5% |
| 1990 | 4,508 | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 4,430 | -1.7% |
| 1992 | 4,250 | -4.1% |
| 1993 | 3,964 | -6.7% |
| 1994 | 3,926 | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 4,051 | +3.2% |
| 1996 | 3,988 | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 3,917 | -1.8% |
| 1998 | 3,946 | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 4,054 | +2.7% |
| 2000 | 4,125 | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 4,339 | +5.2% |
| 2002 | 4,348 | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 4,352 | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 4,311 | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 4,347 | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 4,429 | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 4,541 | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 4,593 | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 4,499 | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 4,524 | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 4,626 | +2.3% |
| 2012 | 4,657 | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 4,704 | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 4,772 | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 4,837 | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 4,910 | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 5,022 | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 5,097 | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 5,132 | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 5,064 | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 5,105 | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 5,257 | +3.0% |
| 2023 | 5,336 | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 5,303 | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 5,329 | +0.5% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 5,329 is above the median for high income countries, which is 2,235, 2.4× the median. (72 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 5,329 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3,067, 1.7× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 4,378 | 4,316 | 4,442 | 3 |
| 1990s | 4,103 | 3,917 | 4,508 | 10 |
| 2000s | 4,388 | 4,125 | 4,593 | 10 |
| 2010s | 4,828 | 4,524 | 5,132 | 10 |
| 2020s | 5,232 | 5,064 | 5,336 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More work & labour data for Sweden
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.0422 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.0602 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.0243 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.29 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.5427 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 10,837 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 788.88 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 5,587 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 5,780 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 11,367 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in Sweden?
- Employment in Sweden was 5,329 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest employment recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 5,336 in 2023.
- What is the lowest employment recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 3,917 in 1997.
- How does Sweden rank for employment?
- Sweden ranks 61st out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.2%. 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 (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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