Share of students from abroad in Sweden
Sweden: Share of students from abroad was 7.24 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of students from abroad in Sweden, 1999–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2024, share of students from abroad in Sweden stood at 7.24.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and up 22.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of students from abroad in Sweden peaked at 7.88 in 2011 and was at its lowest, 4.02, in 2004.
Sweden ranks 53rd of 134 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Share of students from abroad in Sweden, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 7.28 | — |
| 2000 | 7.37 | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 7.35 | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 7.49 | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 7.83 | +4.6% |
| 2004 | 4.02 | -48.7% |
| 2005 | 4.68 | +16.5% |
| 2006 | 5.04 | +7.8% |
| 2007 | 5.35 | +6.1% |
| 2008 | 5.57 | +4.1% |
| 2009 | 6.4 | +14.9% |
| 2010 | 6.93 | +8.3% |
| 2011 | 7.88 | +13.7% |
| 2012 | 6.32 | -19.8% |
| 2013 | 5.83 | -7.7% |
| 2014 | 5.91 | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 6.22 | +5.4% |
| 2016 | 6.58 | +5.7% |
| 2017 | 6.74 | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 7.17 | +6.4% |
| 2019 | 7.15 | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 7.04 | -1.5% |
| 2021 | 6.64 | -5.7% |
| 2022 | 7 | +5.5% |
| 2023 | 7.28 | +4.0% |
| 2024 | 7.24 | -0.6% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 7.24 is below the median for high income countries, which is 10.58, 68% of the median. (60 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 7.24 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 9.89, 73% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of students from abroad in Sweden changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | -48.7% | 7.83 | 4.02 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.28 | 7.28 | 7.28 | 1 |
| 2000s | 6.11 | 4.02 | 7.83 | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.67 | 5.83 | 7.88 | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.04 | 6.64 | 7.28 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More education data for Sweden
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.43 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.43 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 77,813 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 1,302 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 235,975 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 222,360 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 987,895 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 859,847 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.8572 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of students from abroad in Sweden?
- Share of students from abroad in Sweden was 7.24 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of students from abroad recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 7.88 in 2011.
- What is the lowest share of students from abroad recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.02 in 2004.
- How does Sweden rank for share of students from abroad?
- Sweden ranks 53rd out of 134 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of students from abroad rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sweden data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of students from abroad. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).