Preliminary results from municipalities and regions for 2024
Decrease in net income for municipalities and continued deficit for regions in 2024
Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2025-03-04 8.00
The annual net income for the local government sector – municipalities and regions combined – amounted to SEK 6.1 billion in 2024, which means a decrease of SEK 8.2 billion compared with 2023. The decrease in net income is mainly due to increased operational expenditures. The annual net income for municipalities decreased by SEK 10.3 billion to SEK 15.7 billion, while the net income for regions increased by SEK 2.1 billion to SEK -9.7 billion in 2024.
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operational revenues | 265.6 | 264.2 | 265.2 |
| Operational expenditures | ‑1 220.4 | ‑1 312.0 | ‑1 369.4 |
| Depreciation and impairment | ‑48.7 | ‑51.5 | ‑55.9 |
| Net operational expenditures | ‑1 003.5 | ‑1 099.3 | ‑1 160.1 |
| Tax revenues | 853.7 | 902.2 | 924.6 |
| Economic equalisation and general grants from central government | 210.6 | 213.1 | 243.6 |
| Net operational income | 60.8 | 15.9 | 8.0 |
| Financial revenues | 16.3 | 37.8 | 46.2 |
| Financial expenditures | ‑33.7 | ‑40.5 | ‑48.2 |
| Income statement before extraordinary items | 43.3 | 13.2 | 6.1 |
| Extraordinary items | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
| Annual net income | 43.3 | 14.3 | 6.1 |
Net operational expenditures for the local government sector (regions and municipalities combined) increased by 6 per cent to SEK 1 160.1 billion in 2024. Increasing pension costs may be a contributing factor to the increased net expenditures this year as well.
Tax revenues amounted to a total of SEK 924.6 billion, which means an increase of almost 2 per cent compared with last year. For 2024, it was mainly general government grants and economic equalisation that helped mitigate the negative impact of the cost increase. General government grants and economic equalisation increased by 14 per cent to SEK 243.6 billion.
The net operational income further decreased in 2024 and amounted to SEK 8 billion, which was a decrease of 49 per cent compared with the previous year. For the regions, the net operational income increased by SEK 1.5 billion and amounted to SEK -2.8 billion in 2024, compared with SEK -4.3 billion in 2023. The net operational income for municipalities went from SEK 20.2 billion in 2023 to SEK 10.8 billion in 2024, a decrease of 47 per cent.
The net financial income amounted to SEK -2 billion, which is slightly better compared with the previous year. The regions’ net financial income went from SEK- 7.5 billion in 2023 to SEK -6.9 billion in 2024. For municipalities, it went from SEK 4.8 billion to SEK 4.9 billion during the corresponding period.
Municipalities
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operational revenues | 172.4 | 174.1 | 177.4 |
| Operational expenditures | ‑779.4 | ‑828.3 | ‑863.9 |
| Depreciation and impairment | ‑34.2 | ‑36.5 | ‑39.9 |
| Net operational expenditures | ‑641.2 | ‑690.6 | ‑726.4 |
| Tax revenues | 545.8 | 576.7 | 589.6 |
| Economic equalisation and general grants from central government | 132.3 | 134.1 | 147.6 |
| Net operational income | 36.9 | 20.2 | 10.8 |
| Financial revenues | 13.4 | 26.2 | 31.2 |
| Financial expenditures | ‑16.3 | ‑21.4 | ‑26.2 |
| Income statement before extraordinary items | 34.0 | 25.0 | 15.7 |
| Extraordinary items | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
| Annual net income | 34.0 | 26.0 | 15.7 |
In the table, the region of Gotland is included to 65 percent.
The net operational income for municipalities amounted to SEK 10.8 billion in 2024, which means an increase of SEK 9.4 million – corresponding to 45 per cent – compared with 2023. The decrease can be explained by the fact that net operational expenditures again increased more than tax revenues, general government grants and economic equalisation in 2024. In total, these revenues increased by SEK 26.3 billion in 2024, of which general government grants and economic equalisation accounted for SEK 13.5 billion.
The net financial income amounted to SEK 4.9 billion, which is in line with the previous year. This had a positive effect on the annual net income in 2024 as well. The annual net income amounted to SEK 15.7 billion in 2024, a decrease of SEK 10.3 billion compared with 2023.
In 2024, there was a further increase in the number of municipalities reporting a deficit in net operational income. Of the 290 municipalities, 133 of them reported a deficit in operational income for 2024, compared with 80 municipalities in 2023.
This year, all 290 municipalities have provided data ahead of the year’s first publication.
Regions
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operational revenues | 93.3 | 90.1 | 87.8 |
| Operational expenditures | ‑441.1 | ‑483.8 | ‑505.5 |
| Depreciation and impairment | ‑14.5 | ‑15.0 | ‑16.0 |
| Net operational expenditures | ‑362.3 | ‑408.7 | ‑433.8 |
| Tax revenues | 307.9 | 325.4 | 335.0 |
| Economic equalisation and general grants from central government | 78.3 | 79.0 | 96.0 |
| Net operational income | 23.9 | ‑4.3 | ‑2.8 |
| Financial revenues | 2.9 | 11.6 | 15.1 |
| Financial expenditures | ‑17.5 | ‑19.1 | ‑22.0 |
| Income statement before extraordinary items | 9.3 | ‑11.8 | ‑9.7 |
| Extraordinary items | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Annual net income | 9.3 | ‑11.8 | ‑9.7 |
In the table, the region of Gotland is included to 35 percent.
Like 2023, 2024 was a challenging year for the regions. Operational revenues continued to decrease at the same rate as in the previous year, amounting to SEK 87.8 billion. At the same time, operational expenditures continued to increase, totalling SEK 505.5 billion. This means that net operational expenditures increased by 7 per cent to SEK 433.8 billion in 2024.
The negative effects of the cost increase were partly curbed by the increase in general government grants and economic equalisation, which together increased by 22 per cent to SEK 96 billion. Tax revenues also increased (by 3 per cent) to SEK 335 billion in 2024. Despite this, there was a deficit in net operational income for the second year in a row. Net operational income amounted to SEK -2.8 billion. There was a deficit in net operational income in 16 of 21 regions, which can be compared with 15 regions the previous year.
The net financial income further fuelled the deficit as, like last year, financial expenditures exceeded financial revenues. This meant that the annual net income still reported a deficit, but had improved by SEK 2.1 billion compared with 2023, and amounted to SEK -9.7 billion. The deficit from 2023 further increased in 6 regions, while 5 regions reported a surplus in 2024. The other 10 regions had a lower deficit in 2024 than in the previous year.
All 21 regions have also provided data ahead of the year’s first publication.
General footnote: Individual totals and sub-items in the tables presented may show differences due to rounding.
Definitions and explanations
Region Gotland are responsible for municipal tasks and region tasks. This means that it is very difficult to compare data for the income statement and balance sheet for Region Gotland with other municipalities and regions in Sweden. Statistics Sweden has, in an attempt to comparability, estimated that 65 percent of their total activity concerns municipal activities, while 35 percent concerns region activities. Statistic Sweden will however point out that this is an estimation and that comparisons with other municipalities and regions should be made with caution.
Extraordinary items refer to income and expenditures that do not originate from regular activities. Income before extraordinary items is not always comparable, since what is considered as extraordinary can differ.
The present figures are preliminary and can be revised.
The figures are in current prices.
Feel free to use the facts from this statistical news but remember to state Source: Statistics Sweden.