Persons outside the labour force in Sweden

Sweden: Persons outside the labour force was 3,805 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
3,805
Change on year
up 3.3%
World rank
24th
of 57 countries
All-time high
3,805
in 2025
All-time low
2,712
in 2006
Years of data
22
2004–2025

Persons outside the labour force in Sweden, 2004–2025

01.0k2.0k3.0k4.0k2004201420252004: 2.8k2005: 2.7k2006: 2.7k2007: 2.8k2008: 3.0k2009: 3.0k2010: 3.1k2011: 3.1k2012: 3.1k2013: 3.1k2014: 3.2k2015: 3.1k2016: 3.2k2017: 3.2k2018: 3.3k2019: 3.3k2020: 3.3k2021: 3.4k2022: 3.5k2023: 3.5k2024: 3.7k2025: 3.8k

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

Sweden recorded 3,805 for persons outside the labour force in 2025. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.

The figure is up 3.3% on the previous year and up 20.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, persons outside the labour force in Sweden peaked at 3,805 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 2,712, in 2006.

That places Sweden 24th out of 57 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.

Persons outside the labour force in Sweden, year by year

Annual values for Persons outside the labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in Sweden, 2004 to 2025.
Year Value Change
2004 2,844
2005 2,750 -3.3%
2006 2,712 -1.4%
2007 2,762 +1.9%
2008 2,963 +7.3%
2009 3,025 +2.1%
2010 3,121 +3.2%
2011 3,101 -0.6%
2012 3,130 +0.9%
2013 3,117 -0.4%
2014 3,162 +1.4%
2015 3,148 -0.4%
2016 3,188 +1.3%
2017 3,206 +0.6%
2018 3,321 +3.6%
2019 3,311 -0.3%
2020 3,330 +0.6%
2021 3,437 +3.2%
2022 3,526 +2.6%
2023 3,541 +0.4%
2024 3,684 +4.0%
2025 3,805 +3.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 2,842 2,712 3,025 6
2010s 3,180 3,101 3,321 10
2020s 3,554 3,330 3,805 6

Countries ranked near Sweden

  1. 21 Zambia 4,409 compare
  2. 22 Greece 3,972 compare
  3. 23 Burkina Faso 3,834 compare
  4. 25 Portugal 3,684 compare
  5. 26 Czechia 3,530 compare
  6. 27 Zimbabwe 3,267 compare

See the full ranking of 57 places →

More work & labour data for Sweden

All data for Sweden →

Frequently asked questions

What is persons outside the labour force in Sweden?
Persons outside the labour force in Sweden was 3,805 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest persons outside the labour force recorded in Sweden?
The highest recorded value was 3,805 in 2025.
What is the lowest persons outside the labour force recorded in Sweden?
The lowest recorded value was 2,712 in 2006.
How does Sweden rank for persons outside the labour force?
Sweden ranks 24th out of 57 countries with data for 2025.
Is persons outside the labour force rising or falling in Sweden?
Over the last ten years it is up 20.9%. 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 Persons outside the labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Persons outside the labour force in Sweden. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/persons-outside-the-labour-force-previous-ilo-definition-icls13/sweden/

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About this data

Indicator
Persons outside the labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
57 places, 865 data points, 1996–2025
Last refreshed

With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. Persons outside the labour force comprise all persons of working age who, during the specified reference period, were not in the labour force (that is, were not employed or unemployed). The term disability, as defined in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), is used as an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. For measurement purposes, a person with disability is defined as a person who is limited in the kind or amount of activities that he or she can do because of ongoing difficulties due to a long-term physical condition, mental condition or health problem. For more information, refer to the Disability Labour Market Indicators (DLMI) database description.