In all counties except Stockholm County, one- or two-dwelling buildings with ownership rights was the most common type of dwelling. In Stockholm County, owner-occupied dwellings in multi-dwelling buildings were most common, at 38 percent of households, followed by rented dwellings in multi-dwelling buildings, at 28 percent.

In 10 out of 21 counties, just over half of the households lived in one- or two-dwelling buildings with ownership rights. The largest percentage of this type of dwelling, 56 percent, was in Dalarna County. The smallest percentage of households living in one- or two-dwelling buildings with ownership rights was in Stockholm County, at 24 percent.

Although one- or two-dwelling buildings with ownership rights was the most common type of dwelling in 266 out of 290 municipalities, it was an unusual type of dwelling for a person in Solna municipality in Stockholm County. Only 1.3 percent of the municipality’s households lived in one- or two-dwelling buildings with ownership rights. Solna, Sundbyberg and Stockholm were the only three municipalities in which less than 10 percent of households lived in one- or two-dwelling buildings with ownership rights. In Solna, 61 percent of households lived in owner-occupied dwellings in multi-dwelling buildings; Solna was the only municipality in which more than half of the households lived in this type of dwelling.

In nine municipalities, owner-occupied dwellings in multi-dwelling buildings was the most common dwelling type. Seven of these municipalities are located in Stockholm County. In the rest of Sweden, owner-occupied dwellings in multi-dwelling buildings was only the most common type of dwelling in Uppsala and Lund.

In 15 out of 290 municipalities, the most common dwelling type was rented dwellings in multi-dwelling buildings. The highest percentage of households in rented dwellings in multi-dwelling buildings, 45 percent, was in Södertälje in Stockholm County. Rented dwellings in multi-dwelling buildings was the most common dwelling type mainly in large cities and larger towns.

Single women live mainly in rented dwellings in multi-dwelling buildings

The dwelling type differs for various types of households. The household types cohabiting adults and other households, with or without children, live mainly in one- or two-dwelling buildings with ownership rights. The highest percentage living in one- or two-dwelling buildings with ownership rights was among cohabiting adults with two children, at 69 percent. Single persons, with or without children, on the other hand, live mainly in multi-dwelling buildings with rented dwellings. However, there is a difference between the sexes. Among single men 65 years or older without children and single men with children 0-24 years, one- or two-dwelling buildings with ownership rights was the most common dwelling type.

Half of the households classified as single men with children 0-24 years lived in the dwelling type one- or two-dwelling buildings with ownership rights. In the corresponding group of women, half of them lived in households in multi-dwelling buildings with rented dwellings. The lowest percentage in the dwelling type one- or two-dwelling buildings with ownership rights, 12 percent, was among the group single women below 65 years without children.

Largest living space per person in one- or two-dwelling buildings with ownership rights

In 2020, the average living space per person in Sweden was 42 square metres (sqm). People living in one-or-two family dwellings with ownership rights had the most space, at 47 sqm per person. People living in one-or-two family dwellings with owner-occupied or rented dwellings had 41 sqm and 40 sqm average living space respectively. Dwellings in multi-dwelling buildings are often smaller than dwellings in one- or two-dwelling buildings, and people living in multi-dwelling buildings had slightly smaller living spaces, 39 sqm in owner-occupied dwellings and 34 sqm 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.