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Foreign ownership and expatriate Swedes’ ownership of holiday homes in Sweden 2024

6 percent of holiday homes in Sweden have foreign owners

Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2025-03-27 8.00

In Sweden 37 973 holiday homes were owned by foreign owners in 2024, which is a marginal decrease compared to the previous year. Foreign ownership thus amounts to 6 percent of the total holiday home stock in the country.

Foreign owners mostly from Norway, Germany and Denmark

Foreign owners come primarily from Norway (12 200 holiday homes), Germany (11 330) and Denmark (9 598).

Large differences among counties

Regional variation in foreign ownership of holiday homes in relation to the total stock of holiday homes is considerable. The percentage of foreign ownership is by far the greatest in Kronoberg County at 37 percent and in Värmland at 23 percent. In Stockholm, Uppsala, Södermanland, Gotland and Västmanland counties, foreign ownership is less than 1 percent of the stock.

The largest numbers of foreign-owned holiday homes are located in Västra Götaland (7 858), Värmland (6 420), Kronoberg (4 502) and Skåne (3 299).

Total number of holiday homes owned by natural persons 2024, of which those with owners from
County Total number of holiday homes owned by natural persons Of which those with owners from   Percentage of foreign owned holiday homes
    Denmark Norway Germany Netherlands Other countries Unknown country Total  
Stockholm 74 896 12 19 85 12 163 0 291 0.4
Uppsala 18 205 1 8 13 3 33 1 59 0.3
Södermanland 20 780 5 5 49 4 50 0 113 0.5
Östergötland 23 602 65 16 231 32 68 1 413 1.7
Jönköping 13 923 827 10 824 74 95 0 1 830 13.1
Kronoberg 12 347 2 841 11 1 417 112 121 0 4 502 36.5
Kalmar 32 884 526 40 2 240 126 181 0 3 113 9.5
Gotland 13 056 0 18 32 8 34 0 92 0.7
Blekinge 13 751 883 14 491 23 76 2 1 489 10.8
Skåne 46 602 2 260 95 650 57 236 1 3 299 7.1
Halland 26 589 1 078 44 435 21 84 0 1 662 6.3
Västra Götaland 79 801 480 5 247 1 610 141 375 5 7 858 9.8
Värmland 27 837 351 3 746 1 434 594 291 4 6 420 23.1
Örebro 15 200 30 17 252 65 58 2 424 2.8
Västmanland 9 860 1 4 15 2 27 0 49 0.5
Dalarna 46 616 123 319 391 108 185 0 1 126 2.4
Gävleborg 28 561 7 23 142 36 100 0 308 1.1
Västernorrland 25 789 15 47 294 49 171 1 577 2.2
Jämtland 33 500 45 1 347 273 64 147 2 1 878 5.6
Västerbotten 33 929 37 738 266 31 278 1 1 351 4.0
Norrbotten 30 436 11 432 186 29 461 0 1 119 3.7
Total 628 164 9 598 12 200 11 330 1 591 3 234 20 37 973 6.0

Expatriate Swedes’ ownership of holiday homes

In total, 14 505 holiday homes in Sweden are owned by Swedes living abroad. Swedes living in Norway own the largest number of holiday homes in Sweden (2 929). This is followed by Swedish owners living in USA (1 805), Germany (1 545), the United Kingdom (1 352), Switzerland (1 017) and Denmark (985).

The most common is that the Swedish expatriate own holiday homes in Västra Götaland (2 660), Skåne (2 102) and Stockholm County (1 887).

Total number of holiday homes owned by natural persons 2024, Of which those with Swedish owners living in
County Total number of holiday homes owned by natural persons Of which those with Swedish owners living in   Percentage of holiday homes owned by expatriate Swedes
    Norway Switzerland United Kingdom Germany USA Denmark Other countries Total  
Stockholm 74 896 91 157 248 156 322 49 864 1 887 2.5
Uppsala 18 205 14 21 15 13 35 6 121 225 1.2
Södermanland 20 780 25 19 59 54 83 9 160 409 2.0
Östergötland 23 602 48 39 44 51 59 14 183 438 1.9
Jönköping 13 923 22 25 18 49 23 47 112 296 2.1
Kronoberg 12 347 25 17 24 68 23 115 71 343 2.8
Kalmar 32 884 73 48 60 117 69 44 239 650 2.0
Gotland 13 056 31 13 22 21 32 6 98 223 1.7
Blekinge 13 751 29 28 24 54 39 59 93 326 2.4
Skåne 46 602 152 217 246 238 278 311 660 2 102 4.5
Halland 26 589 89 59 53 122 98 79 236 736 2.8
Västra Götaland 79 801 960 198 213 233 231 104 721 2 660 3.3
Värmland 27 837 594 25 48 72 68 33 147 987 3.5
Örebro 15 200 37 7 19 36 29 9 91 228 1.5
Västmanland 9 860 26 9 13 17 28 2 77 172 1.7
Dalarna 46 616 182 43 67 68 102 31 213 706 1.5
Gävleborg 28 561 64 32 42 38 67 9 141 393 1.4
Västernorrland 25 789 69 13 33 49 68 12 147 391 1.5
Jämtland 33 500 181 17 44 28 68 18 144 500 1.5
Västerbotten 33 929 111 13 38 37 44 23 140 406 1.2
Norrbotten 30 436 106 17 22 24 39 5 214 427 1.4
Total 628 164 2 929 1 017 1 352 1 545 1 805 985 4 872 14 505 2.3

Definitions and explanations

This statistical news defines holiday home as an assessment unit or taxation unit with no registered population and are assessed as building for agriculture, residential value less than SEK 50 000 (type code 113), building for agriculture, built (type code 120), one- or two-dwelling building, built (type code 220), one- or two-dwelling building, houses on leasehold (type code 225) and one- or two-dwelling building, building value less than SEK 50 000 (type code 213).

News from 2019 publication of holiday home

A type code has been added. It is building for agriculture, residential value less than SEK 50 000 (type code 113).

All assessment units, one- or two-dwelling building, houses on leasehold (type code 225) is now considered a holiday home.

For agricultural units it is also required that the agriculture is not active. As of 2019, only those with agricultural-related business codes are counted as active agriculture, which means that fewer agricultural units are excluded.

The changes that have been made result in just over 24,000 more holiday homes for the year 2019 compared to the previously used method.

Statistics Sweden will publish new time series according to the new definition later this spring when comparisons can be made for longer time periods.

Foreign ownership means that the owner responsible for his or her tax return has neither a Swedish postal address nor a Swedish personal identity number. The country reported in these statistics is based on the country where the owner has their postal address, and only private persons are included in the survey.

Expatriate Swedes’ ownership means that the owner responsible for his/her tax return does not have a Swedish postal address, but does have a Swedish personal identity number. The country reported in these statistics is based on the country where the owner has their postal address, and only private persons are included in the survey.

The information was retrieved from the 2024 Real Estate Tax Assessment Register (FTR) and refers to the situation on 1 January 2024. Statistics Sweden receives the Real Estate Tax Assessment Register from the Swedish Tax Agency.

The objects reported are valuation units or taxation units. Valuation units and taxation units are defined in FTR as that which is assessed or taxed independently and generally consists of property with a building and a lot. 

Feel free to use the facts from this statistical news but remember to state Source: Statistics Sweden.

Statistical agency

Statistics Sweden

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Martin Verhage

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