Civil society, 2023
Civil society’s contribution to GDP was 3,3 percent in 2023
Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2025-10-23 8.00
Total production in civil society amounted to SEK 318 billion in 2023, of which SEK 44 billion consisted of payments from the public sector. The value added in the civil society amounted to SEK 182 billion resulting in a contribution of 3.3 percent to Sweden’s GDP.
There were 265,700 organisations in the civil society in 2023, the majority of which (163,900) were non-profit associations. Statistics Sweden (SCB) compiles annual data on the civil society in Sweden using the same framework as the national accounts, also called satellite accounts. These follow definitions used in the national accounts to illustrate the civil society’s contribution to Sweden’s economy.
Payments from the public sector to the civil society have remained relatively constant over time
In the civil society production mainly consists of membership fees and contributions. In total, the civil society accounted for a production of SEK 318 billion in 2023, of which SEK 44 billion came from payments from the public sector. Over time, the share of production financed by the public sector has remained relatively stable, reaching a peak of 17 percent in 2014 and a lowest level of 14 percent in 2015-2016 and 2023.
Development and housing remained the largest contributing sector to value added in the civil society 2023
The value added in the civil society, which corresponds to the surplus generated by each activity during the year (i.e. income minus expenses), amounted to SEK 182 billion in 2023. A breakdown by type of activity (ICNPO) shows that “Development and housing” accounted for the largest share, SEK 68 billion. The second largest activity type was “Religion” with SEK 19 billion in value added, followed by “Education and research” and “Culture and recreation” with SEK 18 billion and SEK 17 billion respectively in value added.
The largest increase between 2022 and 2023 occurred within the activity “Business and professional associations, unions”, rising from SEK 10 billion to SEK 13 billion – in fixed prices. The largest decrease occurred within the activity ”Not elsewhere classified”, which decreased by just over SEK 1 billion. The activity ”Not elsewhere classified” include, among others, the work of interest organisations such as tenants’, student and consumer associations, pensioners’ organisations and book clubs.
Civil society’s contribution to the economy
In relation to the total value added in the economy, which amounted to 5 488 billion SEK, civil society contributed with 3.3 percent in 2023. This share has remained unchanged since 2021, in fixed prices. The highest share of the overall economy was recorded in 2018, when civil society’s contribution to GDP reached 3.7 percent.
Civil society's contribution to GDP was 3.3 percent 2023
In relation to total production in the economy, which amounted to SEK 11 859 billion in 2023, the civil society accounted for 2.7 percent — an increase of 0.1 percentage points compared to 2022, in fixed prices. The decline between 2020 and 2023 is a result of total production increasing over time while production within civil society has remained largely unchanged.
Definitions and explanations
Fixed prices with base year 2023 are used to remove any price effects. For fixed price calculation, a GDP deflator is used.
GDP deflator = (Nominal GDP/Real GDP) * 100
Year GDP deflator, base year 2023
2012 - 1,35
2013 - 1,33
2014 - 1,31
2015 - 1,28
2016 - 1,26
2017 - 1,23
2018 - 1,20
2019 - 1,17
2020 - 1,15
2021 - 1,12
2022 - 1,06
2023 - 1,00
GDP at market price in nominal and fixed prices is used and published at National accounts.
The civil society is an arena, distinct from the state, the market, and the individual household, where people organise and act collectively in shared interests. This domain encompasses everything from networks and voluntary associations to registered religious communities, and more.
Satellite accounts are focused on describing and analysing the economy for a specific purpose. They are not intended to provide an overview of the national economy but rather focus on what is relevant for that specific purpose. Therefore, satellite accounts can be used to show details that are not visible in the aggregated main system of national accounts.
Production can be simplified as the revenues of organisations. In the case of the civil society these may consist of membership fees and contributions, for example.
Value added can be simplified as income minus expenses or the surplus generated in the operation during a year. A sector's value added is the sector's production minus the sector's consumption. The sum of value added from all sectors constitutes Sweden’s GDP at basic prices.
Publication
A more detailed report of these data is published in the publication The Civil Society 2023 on Statistics Sweden's website.