Persons born outside Europe who have spent a shorter time in Sweden are often economically disadvantaged
The report “Integration – a description of the situation in Sweden” is presented today. The report shows that persons who have lived in Sweden for less than 10 years and were born outside Europe stand out from other groups in society.
1/29/20243 min read
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Statistical news from Statistics Sweden, published on 2019-11-21
The report “Integration – a description of the situation in Sweden” is presented today. The report shows that persons who have lived in Sweden for less than 10 years and were born outside Europe stand out from other groups in society, both among Swedish-born persons and foreign-born persons. This group has a weaker position in the labour market, lower income, and a higher share have overcrowded living conditions.
The report describes the living conditions of various groups of foreign-born persons and Swedish-born persons concerning the areas of demographics, education, employment and working conditions, economy, housing, health and well-being, leisure time, social relationships, and democracy.
Results in the report show that:
Democracy
Seven out of ten persons 16 years and older feel completely or largely involved in society. There are no statistically significant differences between different groups of foreign-born persons and Swedish-born persons.
Voter participation is lower among foreign-born persons than among persons born in Sweden. In the 2018 general elections, voter participation was lowest among persons born outside Europe who have spent less than 10 years in Sweden, 68 per cent. Among persons born outside Europe who have lived in Sweden for at least 10 years and persons born in Europe, voter participation was around 75 per cent. Among Swedish-born persons who have at least one Swedish-born parent, 91 per cent of those eligible to vote did so.
Health and well-being
According to the indicator “content with life”, one in three persons state that they are very content with life, regardless of birth country group.
Housing
The share of persons in overcrowded housing is higher among persons born outside Europe who have lived in Sweden for less than 10 years. In this group, nearly one in three persons, 31 per cent, lives in housing with more than two persons per bedroom. Among those born outside Europe who have lived in Sweden for at least 10 years and persons born in Europe, around 10 per cent live in overcrowded housing. The corresponding share among Swedish-born persons with at least one Swedish-born parent is two per cent.
Employment and working conditions
Persons born outside Europe who have lived in Sweden for less than 10 years are gainfully employed to a smaller extent than other groups of both foreign-born persons and Swedish-born persons. This group also has a less stable position in the labour market. Temporary employment, worry about becoming unemployed and lack of influence over work are more common in this group.
Economy
The income level is considerably lower among persons born outside Europe who have lived in Sweden for less than 10 years, and difficulties with the economy are also more common in this group. Seventy per cent of persons born outside Europe who have lived in Sweden for less than 10 years state that they could not obtain SEK 12,000 to pay for an unexpected expense without borrowing or asking for help. Among persons born outside Europe who have lived in Sweden for a long time, this applies to 40 per cent, while the corresponding share is 14 per cent among Swedish-born persons with at least one Swedish-born parent.
Education
Among the group of persons born outside Europe who have lived in Sweden for less than 10 years, a small share completed upper secondary education. On the other hand, among persons who complete upper secondary education, there are no major differences between groups concerning the share that enters higher education.
Publication
Read more in the complete report “Integration – a description of the situation in Sweden”. These statistics are based on many various sample surveys and registers available at Statistics Sweden, and they address the most recently available data from each source.
The population has been divided into five groups: persons born outside Europe who have spent 0-9 years in Sweden, persons born outside Europe who have spent at least 10 years in Sweden, persons born in Europe regardless of time spent in Sweden, persons born in Sweden who have two foreign-born parents, and persons born in Sweden who have at least one Swedish born parent.
Source: Statistics Sweden
