Population in Sweden 2000-2023

Over the past 23 years, the total population of Sweden increased steadily. In 2000, there were nearly 8.9 million people living in the Scandinavian country, and this had increased to 10.55 million in 2023. The population growth is expected to continue over the next decades, and it is estimated that the population of Sweden will reach over 13 million by 2080.

Immigration drove the population growth

One main reason for the steadily increasing is the number of immigrants arriving in the country. Even though the number of immigrants fell since the peak in 2016, the population with a foreign background increased steadily over the past 10 years.

Syrians make up the largest group of foreigners

The high number of immigrants arriving in Sweden in 2016 was caused by the high number or refugees fleeing the Syrian Civil War. As of 2022, Syrians made up the largest foreign group residing in the country. Next to refugees from the Middle East, immigrants from other EU-members such as Poland and neighboring Finland constituted a high number of the foreign-born citizens living in the country.