Foreign ownership and expatriate Swedes’ ownership of holiday homes in Sweden 2023
Just over 6 percent of holiday homes in Sweden have foreign owners
Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2024-03-21 8.00
In Sweden 38 180 holiday homes were owned by foreign owners in 2023, which is a marginal increase compared to the previous year. Foreign ownership thus amounts to 6.2 percent of the total holiday home stock in the country.
Foreign owners mostly from Norway, Germany and Denmark
Foreign owners come primarily from Norway (12 212 holiday homes), Germany (11 131) and Denmark (9 645).
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 24 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 (6 531), Kronoberg (4 533) and Skåne (3 323) counties.
| 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 | 73 635 | 12 | 17 | 71 | 9 | 124 | 11 | 244 | 0.3 |
| Uppsala | 17 990 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 3 | 28 | 5 | 54 | 0.3 |
| Södermanland | 20 361 | 3 | 6 | 49 | 3 | 38 | 13 | 112 | 0.6 |
| Östergötland | 23 162 | 69 | 9 | 224 | 33 | 51 | 16 | 402 | 1.7 |
| Jönköping | 13 646 | 827 | 12 | 829 | 75 | 80 | 28 | 1 851 | 13.6 |
| Kronoberg | 12 130 | 2 855 | 12 | 1 398 | 103 | 125 | 40 | 4 533 | 37.4 |
| Kalmar | 32 230 | 524 | 33 | 2 191 | 137 | 167 | 90 | 3 142 | 9.7 |
| Gotland | 12 705 | 0 | 14 | 35 | 3 | 27 | 4 | 83 | 0.7 |
| Blekinge | 13 507 | 877 | 11 | 499 | 23 | 66 | 28 | 1 504 | 11.1 |
| Skåne | 45 262 | 2 318 | 91 | 632 | 46 | 165 | 71 | 3 323 | 7.3 |
| Halland | 25 124 | 1 066 | 37 | 445 | 22 | 69 | 21 | 1 660 | 6.6 |
| Västra Götaland | 78 412 | 476 | 5 193 | 1 596 | 134 | 324 | 135 | 7 858 | 10.0 |
| Värmland | 27 272 | 366 | 3 797 | 1 425 | 549 | 271 | 123 | 6 531 | 23.9 |
| Örebro | 14 889 | 32 | 20 | 250 | 54 | 51 | 14 | 421 | 2.8 |
| Västmanland | 9 758 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 1 | 23 | 5 | 47 | 0.5 |
| Dalarna | 45 526 | 118 | 312 | 374 | 102 | 161 | 22 | 1 089 | 2.4 |
| Gävleborg | 27 909 | 9 | 20 | 138 | 33 | 83 | 22 | 305 | 1.1 |
| Västernorrland | 24 802 | 12 | 48 | 276 | 42 | 149 | 65 | 592 | 2.4 |
| Jämtland | 32 247 | 39 | 1 388 | 255 | 58 | 149 | 38 | 1 927 | 6.0 |
| Västerbotten | 32 755 | 30 | 747 | 247 | 23 | 270 | 44 | 1 361 | 4.2 |
| Norrbotten | 29 158 | 10 | 435 | 173 | 23 | 453 | 47 | 1 141 | 3.9 |
| Total | 612 480 | 9 645 | 12 212 | 11 131 | 1 476 | 2 874 | 842 | 38 180 | 6.2 |
Expatriate Swedes’ ownership of holiday homes
In total, 13 578 holiday homes in Sweden are owned by Swedes living abroad. Swedes living in Norway own the largest number of holiday homes in Sweden (2 955). This is followed by Swedish owners living in Germany (1 581), USA (1 465), the United Kingdom (1 171), Switzerland (1 150) and Denmark (1 007).
The most common is that the Swedish expatriate own holiday homes in Västra Götaland (2 630), Skåne (2 017) and Stockholm County (1 689).
| 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 | 73 635 | 72 | 194 | 217 | 152 | 266 | 40 | 748 | 1 689 | 2.3 |
| Uppsala | 17 990 | 11 | 20 | 14 | 16 | 38 | 4 | 79 | 182 | 1.0 |
| Södermanland | 20 361 | 20 | 20 | 45 | 51 | 59 | 8 | 147 | 350 | 1.7 |
| Östergötland | 23 162 | 47 | 44 | 31 | 42 | 42 | 15 | 150 | 371 | 1.6 |
| Jönköping | 13 646 | 20 | 24 | 17 | 63 | 22 | 52 | 96 | 294 | 2.2 |
| Kronoberg | 12 130 | 25 | 14 | 18 | 77 | 17 | 139 | 58 | 348 | 2.9 |
| Kalmar | 32 230 | 66 | 60 | 38 | 139 | 65 | 54 | 210 | 632 | 2.0 |
| Gotland | 12 705 | 24 | 14 | 14 | 21 | 41 | 7 | 95 | 216 | 1.7 |
| Blekinge | 13 507 | 30 | 30 | 22 | 57 | 26 | 77 | 86 | 328 | 2.4 |
| Skåne | 45 262 | 145 | 257 | 225 | 263 | 234 | 309 | 584 | 2 017 | 4.5 |
| Halland | 25 124 | 90 | 63 | 57 | 92 | 85 | 78 | 199 | 664 | 2.6 |
| Västra Götaland | 78 412 | 1 051 | 193 | 204 | 252 | 214 | 85 | 631 | 2 630 | 3.4 |
| Värmland | 27 272 | 617 | 38 | 46 | 73 | 49 | 37 | 144 | 1 004 | 3.7 |
| Örebro | 14 889 | 34 | 10 | 21 | 44 | 24 | 8 | 79 | 220 | 1.5 |
| Västmanland | 9 758 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 12 | 13 | 3 | 65 | 135 | 1.4 |
| Dalarna | 45 526 | 176 | 60 | 55 | 54 | 76 | 28 | 199 | 648 | 1.4 |
| Gävleborg | 27 909 | 62 | 31 | 37 | 35 | 47 | 11 | 122 | 345 | 1.2 |
| Västernorrland | 24 802 | 55 | 14 | 29 | 49 | 46 | 11 | 125 | 329 | 1.3 |
| Jämtland | 32 247 | 178 | 24 | 29 | 22 | 45 | 14 | 122 | 434 | 1.3 |
| Västerbotten | 32 755 | 114 | 19 | 21 | 39 | 30 | 19 | 107 | 349 | 1.1 |
| Norrbotten | 29 158 | 102 | 11 | 15 | 28 | 26 | 8 | 203 | 393 | 1.3 |
| Total | 612 480 | 2 955 | 1 150 | 1 171 | 1 581 | 1 465 | 1 007 | 4 249 | 13 578 | 2.2 |
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 natural 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 natural persons are included in the survey.
The information was retrieved from the 2023 Real Estate Tax Assessment Register (FTR) and refers to the situation on 1 January 2023. Statistics Sweden receives the Real Estate Tax Assessment Register from the Swedish Tax Agency.
The objects reported are assessment units or taxation units. Assessment 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.