Environmental sector more significant

The environmental sector in Sweden as increased exports by 65 percent between 2003 and 2008. The total of Swedish exports increased by 55 percent during the same time period. The sector’s number of employed persons increased by 16 percent but 16 percent for the nation as a whole during these years.

During 2008 the establishments of enterprises in the Swedish environmental sector had a total turnover of nearly SEK 260 billion and employed more than 74 000 persons. During the same period of time, exports amounted to more than SEK 42 billion, which accounts for almost 2.5 percent of the total Swedish exports.

Between 2003 and 2008, exports and employment in the Swedish environmental sector increased at a faster rate than exports and employment in Sweden as a whole, as shown in the figure below. In 2008 this trend for exports leveled out and was at a similar level as in 2007, over SEK 42 billion. Employment in the environmental sector grew by about 5 percent, from nearly 73 000 persons in 2007 to over 74 000 persons in 2008, while the total employment in Sweden over the same period was almost unchanged.

Exports and employment within the environmental sector, 2003-2008, current prices

Renewable energy still largest

Turnover and exports for the period 2003 2008 have been largest in the environmental area Renewable Energy. In 2008 this area accounted for nearly half of the turnover and over a third of the exports in the environmental sector. In terms of employment Renewable Energy is the second largest area with almost 15 000 persons employed. The largest environmental area in terms of employment is Waste Management with more than 16 000 persons.

Definitions and explanations

Since 2000, Statistics Sweden has developed a database of the Swedish environmental sector. The population is based on and there were around 14 500 in the population of 2008. An enterprise can be made up of one or many establishments. In the database each establishment is classified by environmental area and by environmental share, i.e. how much of its total activity is considered to be environmental.
Statistics Sweden defines the environmental sector and conducts data collection in accordance with the Eurostat manual ”The environmental goods and services sector – a data collection handbook”.