Aid, poverty & equality · Europe & Central Asia · High income
Sweden: poverty, inequality and aid
Extreme poverty is 0.8% (2023), 99th of 151 in the world and 15th of 47 in Europe & Central Asia. Poverty, $4.20/day is 0.9% (2023), 111th of 151 in the world and 19th of 47 in Europe & Central Asia. Poverty, $8.30/day is 1.5% (2023), 128th of 151 in the world and 29th of 47 in Europe & Central Asia.
Extreme poverty
SwedenEurope & Central AsiaHigh incomeWorld
Poverty, $4.20/day
SwedenEurope & Central AsiaHigh incomeWorld
11 indicators
Aid, poverty & equality: Sweden in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Europe & Central Asia; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme povertyExtreme poverty, $3.00 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 0.8%2023 | 99/151 | 15/47 | 0.1% | 0.6% | 0.5% | +0.1 ppsince 2013 | 0.6% | 0.6% | 10.1% | |
| Poverty, $4.20/dayPoverty at $4.20 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 0.9%2023 | 111/151 | 19/47 | 0.2% | 0.9% | 0.5% | +0.1 ppsince 2013 | 1.1% | 0.7% | 18.2% | |
| Poverty, $8.30/dayPoverty at $8.30 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 1.5%2023 | 128/151 | 29/47 | 0.6% | 1.4% | 1.0% | +0.1 ppsince 2013 | 4.8% | 1.7% | 46.2% | |
| National poverty ratePoverty at national poverty lines, % of population | 16.1%2022 | 102/145 | 24/47 | · | 15.4% | 15.7% | +0.1 ppsince 2012 | — | — | — | |
| Gini indexGini index of income inequality | 29.32023 | 128/151 | 31/47 | 27.0 | 27.7 | 28.9 | +1.7%since 2013 | — | — | — | |
| Top 10% income shareIncome share held by the richest 10% | 22.3%2023 | 137/151 | 38/47 | 22.2% | 21.8% | 22.4% | +0.1 ppsince 2013 | — | — | — | |
| Bottom 20% income shareIncome share held by the poorest 20% | 7.9%2023 | 46/151 | 23/47 | 9.5% | 8.6% | 8.2% | −0.2 ppsince 2013 | — | — | — | |
| UndernourishmentPrevalence of undernourishment, % of population | 2.5%2024 | 160/167 | 43/47 | 2.5%2001 | 2.5% | 2.5% | ±0.0 ppsince 2014 | 2.9% | 2.6% | 8.1% | |
| Food insecurityModerate or severe food insecurity, % of population | 7.9%2024 | 126/155 | 22/45 | · | · | 5.3% | — | 10.4% | 7.9% | 28.0% | |
| Account ownershipAccount ownership (bank or mobile money), % of adults | 98.6%2024 | 11/145 | 11/46 | · | 99.0%2011 | 99.7%2021 | −1.2 ppsince 2014 | 89.6% | 94.9% | 78.7% | |
| Women in parliamentSeats held by women in national parliament, % | 45.0%2025 | 15/190 | 5/52 | 42.7% | 45.0% | 47.0% | +1.4 ppsince 2015 | 31.7% | 31.2% | 27.2% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Women in parliament+1.4 pp45.0% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Extreme poverty+0.1 pp0.8% in 2023
- Poverty, $4.20/day+0.1 pp0.9% in 2023
- Poverty, $8.30/day+0.1 pp1.5% in 2023
- National poverty rate+0.1 pp16.1% in 2022
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Sweden and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Sweden. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Sweden | Denmark | Finland | Norway |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme poverty | 0.8%2023 | 0.4%2023 | 0.2%2023 | 0.2%2023 |
| Poverty, $4.20/day | 0.9%2023 | 0.4%2023 | 0.2%2023 | 0.2%2023 |
| Poverty, $8.30/day | 1.5%2023 | 0.6%2023 | 0.4%2023 | 0.4%2023 |
| National poverty rate | 16.1%2022 | 12.4%2021 | 12.2%2022 | 12.2%2021 |
| Gini index | 29.32023 | 29.92023 | 27.42023 | 26.52023 |
| Top 10% income share | 22.3%2023 | 25.5%2023 | 22.5%2023 | 21.6%2023 |
| Bottom 20% income share | 7.9%2023 | 9.1%2023 | 9.2%2023 | 9.1%2023 |
| Undernourishment | 2.5%2024 | 2.5%2024 | 2.5%2024 | 2.5%2024 |
| Food insecurity | 7.9%2024 | 6.2%2024 | 13.3%2024 | 7.6%2024 |