Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day in Sweden
Sweden: Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day was 13.1% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day in Sweden, 1975–2023
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day in Sweden is 13.1%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 15.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day in Sweden peaked at 56.7% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 11.2%, in 2020.
That places Sweden 105th out of 120 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day in Sweden, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 56.7% | — |
| 1981 | 49.7% | -12.3% |
| 1987 | 44.2% | -11.1% |
| 1992 | 30.3% | -31.4% |
| 1995 | 35.4% | +16.8% |
| 2000 | 25.9% | -26.8% |
| 2001 | 22.4% | -13.5% |
| 2002 | 21.0% | -6.2% |
| 2003 | 25.1% | +19.6% |
| 2004 | 24.6% | -2.0% |
| 2005 | 23.9% | -2.7% |
| 2006 | 19.9% | -16.8% |
| 2007 | 17.8% | -10.7% |
| 2008 | 16.7% | -6.4% |
| 2009 | 16.6% | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 15.4% | -7.5% |
| 2011 | 15.2% | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 14.4% | -5.5% |
| 2013 | 15.5% | +7.4% |
| 2014 | 13.5% | -12.5% |
| 2015 | 13.1% | -3.3% |
| 2016 | 13.2% | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 12.3% | -6.5% |
| 2018 | 13.1% | +6.2% |
| 2019 | 12.2% | -6.9% |
| 2020 | 11.2% | -7.9% |
| 2021 | 12.5% | +11.5% |
| 2022 | 13.1% | +4.9% |
| 2023 | 13.1% | -0.3% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 13.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 19.3%, 68% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 13.1% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 40.5%, 32% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 56.7% | 56.7% | 56.7% | 1 |
| 1980s | 47.0% | 44.2% | 49.7% | 2 |
| 1990s | 32.9% | 30.3% | 35.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 21.4% | 16.6% | 25.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.8% | 12.2% | 15.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.5% | 11.2% | 13.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More poverty & inequality data for Sweden
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 8 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ 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 poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day in Sweden?
- Poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day in Sweden was 13.1% in 2023, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 56.7% in 1975.
- What is the lowest poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.2% in 2020.
- How does Sweden rank for poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day?
- Sweden ranks 105th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sweden data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $30 per day.