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Regional Accounts 2015:

GDP at regional level rose in almost all counties in 2015

Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2017-12-15 9.30

Almost all counties in Sweden showed increased Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) in volume terms 2015. Stockholm County had clearly the highest GRDP per capita, GRDP per employed and disposable income per capita. Gross fixed capital formation rose in seven of the eight NUTS 2 regions.

Kronoberg and Västmanland were the counties with the largest growth rate in GRDP, increasing by 8.1 and 6.8 percent respectively compared to 2014. The three metropolitan counties then followed with Stockholm County, which rose GRDP by 5.8 percent, Västra Götaland County by 5.5 percent and Skåne County by 5.2 percent. Västerbotten County also had a growth rate of 5.2 percent.

Only one county showed negative growth rate in 2015. It was Norrbotten County which decreased by 0.1 percent.

Regional contributions to the GDP of Sweden: Largest contributions from counties with the largest cities

Sweden's GDP rose by 4.5 per cent in volume terms in 2015. Of these 4.5 per cent, the metropolitan counties contributed with 3.3 percentage points. Stockholm County contributed the most with 1.8 percentage points while Västra Götaland County contributed with 0.9 percentage points and Skåne County with 0.6 percentage points. Kronoberg and Västmanland which had the largest growth rates, contributed 0.1 and 0.2 percentage points, respectively.

GRDP per capita: Stockholm and Västra Götaland County in the top

GRDP per capita in current price rose in all counties in 2015, except in Norrbotten County where it remained unchanged. The highest GRDP per capita had Stockholm County with SEK 610,000 and was thus above the national average of SEK 429,000. Västra Götaland County was also above the national average with 434,000 SEK. The lowest GRDP per capita had Södermanland counties with 305,000 kronor.

The large differences in GRDP per capita between neighbouring counties can in part be explained by commuting patterns. For more information, please see the explanatory notes at the end of this document.

GRDP per employed person: Stockholm the only county above national average

For GRDP per employed, only Stockholm County, with SEK 1,079,000 in current price, had higher than the national average. In Västra Götaland County, GRDP per employed was just below the national average of 874,000. The lowest GRDP per employee was observed in Gotland County, SEK 627,000.

Employment: Increased in 18 of Sweden’s 21 counties

In 2015, Jämtland County and Örebro County showed the largest growth rates in the average number of employed persons. They increased by 3.5 percent each, compared with the previous year. They were followed by Uppsala County, which rose by 2.7 percent. In thirteen of twenty counties, the growth rate exceeded 1 percent.

Three counties showed negative growth rates. The lowest growth rate was in Blekinge County, which decreased by 2.5 percent compared to 2014. In Gotland county, the average number of employed persons decreased by 1.0 percent.

Households’ disposable income: Largest increase in Hallands County

Halland County had the largest growth rate in the households' disposable income in 2015, with an increase of the per capita income by 3.4 per cent compared with 2014. In Östergötland County, with the second highest growth rate, the per capita income rose by 3.2 per cent. In Jönköping County, the lowest growth rate was noted, 1.0 per cent. The national average growth rate in per capita income was 2.5 per cent in 2015.

The national average for households’ disposable income per capita was 204,000 SEK in 2015. Like in previous years, households in Stockholm County had the highest income per capita, SEK 230,000. Then Halland County followed by SEK 214,000. Stockholm and Halland were the only counties that were above the national average for disposable income per capita. The lowest available income per capita had Blekinge County with SEK 186,000.

Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF): GFCF increased in all but one regions

In seven out of eight NUTS 2 regions (for more information on NUTS 2 regions, please see the explanatory notes at the end of this document), Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) increased in 2015. The largest increase in GFCF occurred in Stockholm, by almost SEK 50 billion compared to the previous year. About one third of the total GFCF are in Stockholm. In relative terms, GFCF increased most in Mellersta Norrland by just over 25 percent. GFCF also increased in Övre Norrland and in Stockholm relatively much. GFCF decreased slightly in Västsverige compared to 2014. The region was also the only one who showed a decline in investment in 2015.

Various measures of GRDP and households’ disposable income in 2015
CountyGDPR, change in volume percentContribution to change in GDP percentagesGDPR, per capita SEK thousands, current pricesGDPR, per employed person SEK thousands, current pricesDisposable income per capita SEK thousands, current prices
Stockholms
5.8 1.8 610 1 079 230
Uppsala
2.6 0.1 396 844 201
Södermanlands
1.2 0.0 305 757 190
Östergötlands
2.9 0.1 374 800 194
Jönköpings
3.9 0.1 369 720 193
Kronobergs
8.1 0.1 399 800 193
Kalmar
3.5 0.1 330 742 190
Gotlands
3.1 0.0 325 627 189
Blekinge
3.1 0.0 337 775 186
Skåne
5.2 0.6 368 800 200
Hallands
1.8 0.0 326 724 214
Västra Götalands
5.5 0.9 434 873 201
Värmlands
3.4 0.1 327 769 190
Örebro
1.2 0.0 358 754 188
Västmanlands
6.8 0.2 365 813 195
Dalarnas
3.0 0.1 351 780 192
Gävleborgs
1.1 0.0 335 768 187
Västernorrlands
2.1 0.0 373 804 192
Jämtlands
0.5 0.0 336 720 190
Västerbottens
5.2 0.1 362 755 187
Norrbottens
‑0.1 0.0 404 842 198
WHOLE COUNTRY
4.5 4.5 429 874 204

Preliminary regional accounts 2016:

Preliminary estimates are based on preliminary data sources and will be revised next year when definitive calculations of regional accounts are published. Preliminary estimates are compiled for GRDP, wages and salaries, average number of persons employed and household’s disposable income. Preliminary estimates for GFCF are not complied.

Volume changes in GRDP

The GRDP (in volume) increased in 19 of Sweden’s 21 counties. The largest increase occurred in Uppsala County where the GRDP increased by 6.6 percent in 2016 compared with the previous year. The second largest increase occurred in Örebro County, closely followed by Hallands County. The GRDP fell in Gotland County by 0.3 percent. GDP in Sweden rose by 3.2 percent in volume terms.

GRDP per capita

Preliminary estimates reveal that the national average of the GDP per capita was SEK 444,000 in 2016. The GRDP per capita in Stockholm and Västra Götaland counties exceeded the national average, while figures below the national average were observed in all other counties. The lowest GRDP per capita occurred in Södermanland County, where the GRDP per capita was estimated to SEK 318,000.

GRDP per employed person

The GRDP per employed person was highest in Stockholm County, SEK 1,103,000. The national average amounted to SEK 901,000, which was also the amount in Västra Götaland County. All other counties were below the national average. Gotland counties had at least, SEK 670,000 per employee.

Household’s disposable income

The national average for households’ disposable income per capita was SEK 210,000 in 2016, an increase of 2.9 percent in current prices. The highest increase was recorded in Gotland County, with an increase of 4.2 percent. As in previous years, Stockholm County and Halland County was at the top with income of SEK 238,000 and SEK 219,000 per capita in 2016.

Various measures of GDPR 2015
CountyGDPR change in volume percentGDPR per capita SEK thousand current pricesGDPR per employed person SEK thousand current pricesDisposable income per capita SEK thousand current prices
Stockholm
3.2 627 1 103 238
Uppsala
6.6 420 878 206
Södermanland
3.5 318 795 196
Östergötland
2.6 387 819 199
Jönköping
5.1 391 758 200
Kronoberg
3.0 413 820 198
Kalmar
1.6 338 754 196
Gotland
‑0.6 327 637 197
Blekinge
1.4 343 770 191
Skåne
1.5 375 817 204
Halland
5.8 347 777 219
Västra Götaland
3.9 453 901 209
Värmland
3.3 342 798 194
Örebro
6.1 383 810 193
Västmanland
1.9 375 840 200
Dalarna
4.6 370 832 196
Gävleborg
1.7 345 794 192
Västernorrland
‑0.1 378 812 196
Jämtland
4.5 357 771 195
Västerbotten
2.8 377 778 193
Norrbotten
1.9 419 865 201
WHOLE COUNTRY 3.2 444 901 210

Definitions and explanations

Regional Accounts are compiled in accordance with the ESA 2010 regulations (European System of National and Regional Accounts) and cover the period from 2000 to 2016. Calculations at the municipal level have been implemented for the years 2012 to 2016.

The GRDP is an indicator of a region’s output and can therefore be used to measure and compare the degree of economic activity in different regions. The GRDP is not a measure of regional welfare or regional income. The sum of all regions’ GRDP is, by definition, equal to the GDP of the nation.

The figures on change in volume for individual counties fluctuate considerably from one year to another, which calls for a word of caution. Instead of looking at a county’s change in volume in an individual year, the time frame should be extended to a few consecutive years.

Commuting between regions affects GRDP per capita. Commuters contribute to the production and GRDP of the region in which they work, but belong to the population of the region in which they reside. Commuting into a region therefore affects that region's GRDP per capita upwards, while commuting out of the region naturally affects the GRDP per capita downwards.

The GRDP per capita is also influenced by population structures. A region with a relatively large share of the population outside the labour market/production (pensioners, children, etc.) tends to have a lower GRDP per capita than a region where a larger share of the population participates in production.

The industrial structure affects the GRDP per employed person. A region with a large proportion of capital-intensive industries, with high operating surpluses in combination with few employees, tends to have a relatively high GRDP per employed person. By definition, the general government sector reports no operating surpluses (or rather, reports operating surpluses equal to zero). Therefore, a region with a large proportion of its population employed in the general government sector or in industries with low, or even negative, operating surpluses tends to have a relatively low GRDP per employed person. It should also be noted that the number of employed persons in a region consists of all the people working in that region (both the region’s inhabitants and people commuting in from other regions).

Households’ disposable income is an indicator of households’ consumption possibilities and savings possibilities. Regional differences are smaller in households’ disposable income per capita than in GRDP per capita. Income is redistributed between individuals (and between regions) through transfers.

Employment and compensation of employees according to Regional Accounts cannot be directly compared with other statistics on employment and compensation of employees published by Statistics Sweden, since Regional Accounts are required to apply ESA 2010 regulations (European System of national and regional account).

Regional subdivision is made in accordance with NUTS (Nomenclature des Unités Territoriales Statistics), the regional classification used in the European Union. NUTS 0 refers to the whole nation, NUTS 1 contains 3 major regions, NUTS 2 consists of 8 regions, NUTS 3 contains 21 counties and LAU2 (Local Administrative Units, previously called NUTS5) consists of 290 municipalities.

Next publishing will be

The next statistical news in this series will be published on 2018-12-14 at 09.30.

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