Share of population living in the capital city in Sweden
Sweden: Share of population living in the capital city was 13.9% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in the capital city in Sweden, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population living in the capital city in Sweden is 13.9%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
The figure is up 12.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in the capital city in Sweden peaked at 13.9% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 8.3%, in 1950.
That places Sweden 103rd out of 170 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in the capital city in Sweden, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 8.3% | — |
| 1955 | 8.4% | +1.8% |
| 1960 | 8.6% | +2.3% |
| 1965 | 9.7% | +12.1% |
| 1970 | 10.1% | +4.6% |
| 1975 | 9.6% | -5.5% |
| 1980 | 9.4% | -1.2% |
| 1985 | 9.6% | +2.1% |
| 1990 | 9.7% | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 10.7% | +9.7% |
| 2000 | 11.2% | +4.5% |
| 2005 | 11.4% | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 12.4% | +8.7% |
| 2015 | 13.1% | +5.7% |
| 2020 | 13.9% | +6.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 8.4% | 8.3% | 8.4% | 2 |
| 1960s | 9.2% | 8.6% | 9.7% | 2 |
| 1970s | 9.8% | 9.6% | 10.1% | 2 |
| 1980s | 9.5% | 9.4% | 9.6% | 2 |
| 1990s | 10.2% | 9.7% | 10.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 11.3% | 11.2% | 11.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 12.7% | 12.4% | 13.1% | 2 |
| 2020s | 13.9% | 13.9% | 13.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More population data for Sweden
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.1458 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.0422 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -0.7238 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.0422 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.1% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 479,660 people (2100)
- Population density 27.91 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.1% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate 0.1484 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.4642 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in the capital city in Sweden?
- Share of population living in the capital city in Sweden was 13.9% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in the capital city recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 13.9% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in the capital city recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.3% in 1950.
- How does Sweden rank for share of population living in the capital city?
- Sweden ranks 103rd out of 170 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in the capital city rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sweden data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in the capital city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Percentage of the total population living in the country's capital city. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.