Employment by status in Sweden
Sweden: Employment by status was 89.7% in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
89.7%
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
19th
of 186 countries
All-time high
90.0%
in 1991
All-time low
86.9%
in 1995
Years of data
34
1991–2024
Employment by status in Sweden, 1991–2024
Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sweden recorded 89.7% for employment by status in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment by status in Sweden peaked at 90.0% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 86.9%, in 1995.
Sweden ranks 19th of 186 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Employment by status in Sweden, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 90.0% | — |
| 1992 | 89.4% | -0.8% |
| 1993 | 88.4% | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 88.1% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 86.9% | -1.3% |
| 1996 | 87.0% | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 87.4% | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 87.8% | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 87.7% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 88.1% | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 88.5% | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 88.5% | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 88.8% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 88.7% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 88.6% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 88.5% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 88.6% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 88.8% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 88.5% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 88.2% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 88.8% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 88.7% | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 88.6% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 88.9% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 88.9% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 89.2% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 89.3% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 89.5% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 89.3% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 89.3% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 89.4% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 89.5% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 89.6% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 89.7% | +0.1% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 89.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 86.7%, 1.0× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 89.7% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 85.3%, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 88.1% | 86.9% | 90.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 88.6% | 88.1% | 88.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 89.0% | 88.2% | 89.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 89.5% | 89.3% | 89.7% | 5 |
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 by status in Sweden?
- Employment by status in Sweden was 89.7% in 2024, according to International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employment by status recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 90.0% in 1991.
- What is the lowest employment by status recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 86.9% in 1995.
- How does Sweden rank for employment by status?
- Sweden ranks 19th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is employment by status rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Sweden data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Employment by status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of people in employment working as employees, as a percentage of total employment.