Foreign trade in services, quarter 1 2026
Stronger development in imports results in a weakened trade balance
Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2026-06-03 8.00
Imports of services continue to outpace exports, with charges for the use of intellectual property being the main driver.
Trade in services is growing
Both exports and imports of services grew during the first quarter of 2026. Exports of services increased by 4 percent compared to the same quarter last year, while imports increased by just over 6 percent at current prices.
Sweden’s exports of services were valued at SEK 325 billion in the first quarter of 2026, while imports were valued at SEK 349 billion. This resulted in a deficit of just under SEK 24 billion. The corresponding figure for the same quarter last year was a deficit of SEK 15 billion.
The services trade is measured in Swedish krona (SEK) and reported at current prices, which means no adjustments have been made for exchange rate effects or inflation.
Exports and imports by service item, quarter 1 2026
| Exports | Imports | |||||
| Value | Share | Change | Value | Share | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 325 186 | 100.0 | 4.0 | 348 734 | 100.0 | 6.4 |
| Manufacturing services | 10 357 | 3.2 | -37.4 | 12 874 | 3.7 | -1.1 |
| Maintenance and repair services | 907 | 0.3 | -12.3 | 2 423 | 0.7 | 4.9 |
| Transport | 35 718 | 11.0 | -3.2 | 40 059 | 11.5 | -0.2 |
| Travel | 24 930 | 7.7 | 13.9 | 31 978 | 9.2 | 0.6 |
| Construction | 2 764 | 0.8 | 17.3 | 6 461 | 1.9 | 6.0 |
| Insurance and pension services | 3 018 | 0.9 | 29.4 | 2 327 | 0.7 | 7.0 |
| Financial services | 14 794 | 4.5 | 10.5 | 6 757 | 1.9 | 0.0 |
| Charges for the use of intellectual property | 24 904 | 7.7 | -5.2 | 55 448 | 15.9 | 27.2 |
| Telecommunications, computer, and information services | 67 406 | 20.7 | 10.0 | 57 646 | 16.5 | -0.9 |
| Other business services | 104 412 | 32.1 | 5.2 | 121 377 | 34.8 | 4.1 |
| Personal, cultural, and recreational services | 34 219 | 10.5 | 14.0 | 10 673 | 3.1 | 66.5 |
| Government goods and services | 1 757 | 0.5 | 18.3 | 711 | 0.2 | 8.7 |
Increases in most service items
Most services items are increasing compared with the first quarter of last year. The largest rise in export value is found within telecommunications, computer and information services. This category is an aggregate, and the growth is primarily driven by data services. On the import side, the strongest increase in value comes from charges for the use of intellectual property. This includes, for example, licence fees and royalties.
In terms of net contribution, it is mainly personal, cultural and recreational services together with telecommunications, computer and information services that push the net upward. Conversely, charges for the use of intellectual property are the main factor pulling net levels down, alongside the aggregate other business services.
Charges for the use of intellectual property have shifted from being a service item with positive net levels to contributing negatively to the balance since 2020. At the same time, personal, cultural and recreational services account for the strongest positive increase in net levels.
The services trade balance is mainly determined by four service items
Revisions
The period 2025 has been revised in accordance with the regular revision schedule. Revisions for each respective quarter is presented in the table below.
Revisions, year 2025
|
2025Q1 | 2025Q2 | 2025Q3 | 2025Q4 |
| Exports | -251 mn | +714 mn | +144 mn | +129 mn |
| Imports | -874 mn | +305 mn | +2.2 bn | +3.3 bn |
| Net | +623 mn | +409 mn | -2 bn | -3.1 bn |
The foreign trade in services statistics follow a revision schedule that bas been updated starting from this quarter. Previously, the publication of quarter 1 to 3 included revisions of the previous quarter while seven preceding quarters were revised in connection with the publication of quarter 4. From this quarter onward, both the current and the previous year are revised at each publication. If necessary, revisions may also be made outside the regular schedule. Revisions are mainly due to late submissions or corrected information from respondents but may also result from changes in statistical models.
The data should be regarded as preliminary until it is revised according to the regular revision schedule.
Definitions and explanations
What is foreign trade in services?
The statistics on foreign trade in services is a presentation of all Swedish transactions related to trade in services with the rest of the world. These statistics are reported quarterly and form the basis for both the National Accounts and the current account in Balance of Payments. The section More information contains an explanation on why trade in services in the National Accounts and the Balance of Payments sometimes differ from this statistic.
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