Households' housing 2019
Smallest living space per person in cities
Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2020-04-23 9.30
The average living space per person in Sweden is 42 square metres (sqm). Persons living in one- or two-dwelling buildings, particularly those with ownership rights, have the most space per person, 47 sqm. Persons living in Tingsryd and Ydre have the largest living space, while persons living in the Stockholm municipalities have the smallest living space.
Persons living in one- or two-dwelling buildings with tenant-owned or rented dwellings have an average living space of 41 sqm and 40 sqm, respectively.
In multi-dwelling buildings, there is slightly less space per person, 39 sqm for households in tenant-owned flats and 34 sqm for households in rented dwellings. Special housing, such as student housing and housing for the elderly, in which the average living space per person is 29 sqm, account for the smallest living spaces.
Smallest living space per person in cities
The living space per person varies among the different municipalities. Tingsryd and Ydre municipalities have the largest average living space per person, 54 sqm, followed by 53 sqm in Båstad, Emmaboda, Bräcke, and Åsele. Botkyrka, Stockholm, Sundbyberg, and Solna have the smallest living space per person, 33 sqm.
The disparities between municipalities are, in part, explained by differences in the dwelling stock. In many municipalities in metropolitan areas, a large percentage of households live in multi-dwelling buildings. Dwellings in multi-dwelling buildings are often smaller than in one- or two-dwelling buildings. More than 60 percent of households in Sundbyberg, Stockholm, Solna, and Göteborg live in dwellings that are 80 sqm or smaller. Ydre municipality has the lowest percentage of households in small flats, 23 percent, that is, households in dwellings that are smaller than 81 sqm. Emmaboda, Tingsryd, Åsele, and Båstad municipalities also have less than 30 percent of households living in small flats.
| Municipality | Average living space per person, square metres | Share of households in multi-dwelling buildings, percent |
|---|---|---|
| Botkyrka | 33 | 59 |
| Stockholm | 33 | 82 |
| Sundbyberg | 33 | 86 |
| Solna | 33 | 87 |
| Sigtuna | 35 | 57 |
| Huddinge | 35 | 49 |
| Södertälje | 35 | 62 |
| Haninge | 36 | 52 |
| Malmö | 36 | 76 |
| Göteborg | 36 | 72 |
| Municipality | Average living space per person, square metres | Share of households in multi-dwelling buildings, percent |
|---|---|---|
| Tingsryd | 54 | 19 |
| Ydre | 54 | 6 |
| Båstad | 53 | 18 |
| Emmaboda | 53 | 24 |
| Bräcke | 53 | 17 |
| Åsele | 53 | 18 |
| Hagfors | 52 | 25 |
| Ragunda | 52 | 15 |
| Simrishamn | 52 | 25 |
| Vellinge | 52 | 14 |
Definitions and explanations
The statistics are based on the Total Population Register and information dwellings in Statistics Sweden’s register on dwelling stock.
A household includes all persons registered at the same dwelling.
One- or two-dwelling buildings refer to detached one- or two-dwelling buildings, as well as semi-detached houses, terraced houses, and link attached houses.
Multi-dwelling buildings refer to residential buildings with three or more apartments, including housing with balcony access.
One- or two-dwelling buildings with ownership rights refer to dwellings owned by natural persons or estates of deceased persons.
Owner-occupied apartments refers to apartments owned by tenant-owned associations or housing associations. Owner-occupied apartments also include persons who rent their apartment from the tenant-owners’ association or from the owner of the apartment.
Multi-dwelling buildings with rented dwellings refer to apartments that are not owner-occupied apartments and are owned by owners other than tenant-owner associations.
Feel free to use the facts from this statistical news but remember to state Source: Statistics Sweden.