Forcibly displaced people in Sweden
Sweden: Forcibly displaced people was 148,777 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Forcibly displaced people in Sweden, 2010–2025
Source: Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Analysis
The most recent figure for forcibly displaced people in Sweden is 148,777, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 11.7% on the previous year and down 54.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forcibly displaced people in Sweden peaked at 326,533 in 2015 and was at its lowest, 101,226, in 2010.
Sweden ranks 69th of 180 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Forcibly displaced people in Sweden, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 101,226 | — |
| 2011 | 104,709 | +3.4% |
| 2012 | 115,699 | +10.5% |
| 2013 | 141,877 | +22.6% |
| 2014 | 198,945 | +40.2% |
| 2015 | 326,533 | +64.1% |
| 2016 | 313,198 | -4.1% |
| 2017 | 292,542 | -6.6% |
| 2018 | 286,102 | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 281,793 | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 266,975 | -5.3% |
| 2021 | 254,808 | -4.6% |
| 2022 | 292,195 | +14.7% |
| 2023 | 248,903 | -14.8% |
| 2024 | 168,519 | -32.3% |
| 2025 | 148,777 | -11.7% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 148,777 is above the median for high income countries, which is 51,316, 2.9× the median. (65 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 148,777 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 115,499, 1.3× the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 216,262 | 101,226 | 326,533 | 10 |
| 2020s | 230,030 | 148,777 | 292,195 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More social development data for Sweden
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 144,116 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 128 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 128 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0136 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forcibly displaced people in Sweden?
- Forcibly displaced people in Sweden was 148,777 in 2025, according to Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
- What is the highest forcibly displaced people recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 326,533 in 2015.
- What is the lowest forcibly displaced people recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 101,226 in 2010.
- How does Sweden rank for forcibly displaced people?
- Sweden ranks 69th out of 180 countries with data for 2025.
- Is forcibly displaced people rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is down 54.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sweden data come from?
- The figures come from Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), published as part of Forcibly displaced people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Forcibly displaced people are represented by the sum of (1) refugees (and people in a refugee-like situation) under the mandate of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), (2) refugees under the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), (3) asylum-seekers, (4) other people in need of international protection, and (5) internally displaced people (IDPs). Situations in which people are reported in more than one of these categories are accounted for, to the extent possible.