Sweden Population

Sweden long had relatively high fertility by European standards, supported by generous family policy, but births have since fallen to a record low, well below the replacement level. Immigration has been a major driver of growth and has reshaped the population over recent decades. The result is a country ageing more slowly than much of Europe but grappling with integration debates.

Sweden is home to about 10.7 million people in 2026, the 91st largest population of any country. In Northern Europe, where it lies, that future is driven by fertility, longevity and the movement of people across its borders. Population density stands at about 26 people for every square kilometre of land.

Sweden is projected to keep growing until about 2080, when its population peaks at roughly 11.4 million before a gradual decline sets in, leaving it near 11.4 million by 2100.

With fertility near 1.43, just under the 2.1 replacement mark, natural increase is fading. Net inward migration adds to the population each year and partly offsets the low birth rate.

Half of Sweden is currently younger than about 40, but by 2100 the median age is projected to reach around 49, even as life expectancy improves from about 83 years. A rising median age means fewer working-age people supporting each retiree over time.

Read these numbers as the midpoint of a range. Under the UN's high and low fertility paths Sweden's 2100 population could land well above or below the figures here; the medium variant is simply the central case.