2012-2025
Swedish higher education institutions are hiring increasingly more international researchers
Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2026-10-13 8.00
The number of international researchers at Swedish higher education institutions has increased significantly over time. Since 2012, the number of international researchers has doubled, and by 2025 they account for approximately half of all newly recruited researchers.
This is shown in a report produced by Statistics Sweden as part of the government initiative Work in Sweden, which aims to strengthen Sweden’s ability to attract, establish, and retain highly skilled international expertise. The report is a register-based study examining how many international researchers are employed at Swedish higher education institutions and how long they remain within the Swedish higher education sector.
In total, 1 030 new international researchers were employed in 2025. This represents a doubling compared with 2012. During the same period, the proportion of international researchers among all newly recruited researchers increased from 33 to 52 percent.
- Most international researchers are employed as postdoctoral researchers. A postdoctoral position is a career development appointment in which the primary responsibility is research. The employment is temporary and typically lasts for two to three years,” says Angelina Hauzar, statistician at Statistics Sweden.
More than 1,000 newly recruited international researchers in recent years
Nearly half work in Natural Sciences
Of the 1 030 international researchers recruited in 2025, 460 worked within the research field of Natural Sciences. Medical and Health Sciences was the second-largest field, followed by Engineering and Technology. Natural Sciences also had the highest proportion of international researchers among all newly recruited researchers.
Within Natural Sciences and Engineering and Technology, more men than women were recruited, while within Medical and Health Sciences, more women than men were recruited.
- The gender distribution reflects that of all research and teaching staff at Swedish universities and university colleges, so it is not unique to international researchers, says Angelina Hauzar, statistician at Statistics Sweden.
Most international researchers are employed in Natural Sciences
Most remain in Swedish Higher Education for only a few years
The proportion of international researchers who continue working within Swedish higher education decreases over time. The majority remain one to two years after their initial employment. After five to seven years, the proportion has fallen to approximately one-third. Since most international researchers are employed as postdoctoral researchers, a position that usually lasts two to three years, the results suggest that many leave Swedish higher education after completing their postdoctoral appointment.
Among Swedish researchers, the proportion remaining within Swedish higher education is higher than among international researchers. Around six out of ten Swedish researchers were still employed within Swedish higher education three years after their initial appointment. After five to seven years, approximately half remained. However, it was more common for Swedish researchers than for international researchers to leave higher education after just one year.
Many leave Swedish Higher Education after 1-2 years
Definitions and explanations
The report is based on register data for staff at universities and higher education institutions, collected through the institutions’ payroll systems each October.
International researchers are defined as research and teaching staff at universities and higher education institutions who hold a foreign doctoral degree and who did not have Swedish citizenship when they first began working in Swedish higher education. Inclusion also requires a valid Swedish personal identity number, meaning that the individuals are or have been registered as residents in Sweden.
International doctoral students who come to Sweden to pursue doctoral studies are not included among international researchers, even if they later begin working as research and teaching staff.
Some comparisons are made with the group referred to as Swedish researchers, meaning all research and teaching staff holding a doctoral degree who are not classified as international researchers.
Educational attainment
To be classified as an international researcher, an individual must hold a doctoral degree. Information on the highest level of education is obtained from the Swedish Register of Education. Because information on foreign qualifications is incompletely covered in the register, an assumption has been made that individuals employed in career development positions, as senior lecturers, or as professors, and for whom no doctoral education is recorded in the Register of Education, hold a foreign doctoral degree.