Income share held by highest 20% in Sweden
Sweden: Income share held by highest 20% was 37.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Income share held by highest 20% in Sweden, 1975–2023
Source: World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ.
Analysis
In 2023, income share held by highest 20% in Sweden stood at 37.2%.
The figure is down 4.9% on the previous year and up 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, income share held by highest 20% in Sweden peaked at 39.1% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 32.8%, in 1981.
Sweden ranks 108th of 123 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.
Income share held by highest 20% in Sweden, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 34.2% | — |
| 1981 | 32.8% | -4.1% |
| 1987 | 33.2% | +1.2% |
| 1992 | 34.5% | +3.9% |
| 1995 | 34.4% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 36.5% | +6.1% |
| 2001 | 36.3% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 35.8% | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 34.7% | -3.1% |
| 2004 | 35.5% | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 35.6% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 35.6% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 36.2% | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 36.9% | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 36.2% | -1.9% |
| 2010 | 36.6% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 36.3% | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 36.4% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 37.0% | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 37.0% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 37.6% | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 37.8% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 37.1% | -1.9% |
| 2018 | 37.8% | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 37.5% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 37.2% | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 37.7% | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 39.1% | +3.7% |
| 2023 | 37.2% | -4.9% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 37.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 39.9%, 93% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 37.2% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 39.1%, 95% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 34.2% | 34.2% | 34.2% | 1 |
| 1980s | 33.0% | 32.8% | 33.2% | 2 |
| 1990s | 34.5% | 34.4% | 34.5% | 2 |
| 2000s | 35.9% | 34.7% | 36.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.1% | 36.3% | 37.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 37.8% | 37.2% | 39.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More poverty & inequality data for Sweden
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 8 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.43 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 4,456 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -27.03 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 41.37 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 41.4% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is income share held by highest 20% in Sweden?
- Income share held by highest 20% in Sweden was 37.2% in 2023, according to World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ.
- What is the highest income share held by highest 20% recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 39.1% in 2022.
- What is the lowest income share held by highest 20% recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.8% in 1981.
- How does Sweden rank for income share held by highest 20%?
- Sweden ranks 108th out of 123 countries with data for 2023.
- Is income share held by highest 20% rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sweden data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ, published as part of Income share held by highest 20%. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Percentage share of income or consumption is the share that accrues to subgroups of population indicated by deciles or quintiles. Percentage shares by quintile may not sum to 100 because of rounding.