Environmental protection expenditure 2024
Large investments in environmental protection 2024
Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2026-01-22 8.00
The total costs for environmental protection increased 2024 compared to 2023. The environmental domains water, waste and air contributed the most to the increase.
- Environmental protection investments in water contributed the most to the increase in the environmental protection 2024, says Frida Olsson, economist at Statistics Sweden.
Swedish industry’s total environmental protection expenditures amounted to 37 billion SEK in 2024. Environmental protection investments in the water domain will be revised upwards for the reference year 2023 due to new information. By instead comparing 2024 with reference year 2022 the total environmental expenditures increased with 59 precent. The reason for the increase can largely be explained by large environmental protection investments in waste, air and water, with investments in water contributing the most to the increase. Current expenditures in environmental protection have also increased in 2024 compared to 2023, with water as the largest domain.
The investments in environmental protection 2024 have almost reached the same level as the current expenditures in environmental protection. Investments accounted for 49 percent of the total environmental protection costs. For current expenditures, the corresponding figure was 51 percent.
Continued increase in investments
Increased investments in five environmental domains
In 2024, the costs of the environmental protection investments increased in five of the six environmental domains. Water, waste and air contributed to the largest increase in costs with 5 538 million SEK increase in water investments and 1 361 million SEK increase in investments in waste, compared to 2023. The investments in the environmental domain air increased with 1 387 million SEK compared to 2023. Due to a change in the statistics, Environmental protection investments in the water domain will be revised upwards for the reference year 2023 as soon as possible as new information has been received.
The only environmental domain that has decreased its investment costs compared to the year before is biodiversity. The domain had investments in environmental protection amounted to 109 million SEK. This is a decrease with 28 percent compared to 2023.
For the rest of the environmental domains, land and groundwater and other*, the domains have increased. For land and groundwater, the domain has increased with 161 million SEK compared to the year before, which correspond to an increase in 21 percent. For the domain other* the increase amounted to 180 million SEK. This is an increase with 23 percent.
Water and waste contributed to the largest cost increases
The domain water increased the most even for current expenditures
Not only the largest 2024 increase in investments by domain, but also the largest current expenditures, was seen in the water domain. Compared to 2023, the current expenditures for water increased with 2 206 million SEK, which is an increase of 56 percent.
Biodiversity is another environmental domain which has increased with 51 percent compared to the year before, from a value of 454 million SEK in 2023 to 687 million SEK in 2024. The environmental domain other* has however decreased its current expenditures compared to previous year. Nonetheless, the costs were unusually high in 2023.
Continued increase in current environmental protection costs
Environmental protection expenditure by NACE industry
Both Pulp and paper (NACE 17) and Mining and quarrying (NACE 07-09) accounted for 10.4 percent each of the total environmental protection expenditure in Sweden 2024. Basic metals, fabricated metal products (NACE 24-25) accounted for 7.2 percent of the total environmental protection expenditure. For Chemicals and chemical products, pharmaceutical products (NACE 20-21) the corresponding figure was 5.6 percent.
One of the industries that has increased the most in 2024 is Mining and quarrying (NACE 07-09). Their environmental protection expenditures increased with 1 799 million SEK compared to 2023. Food products, beverages and tobacco (NACE 10-12) had instead decreased its expenditures with 1 689 million SEK compared to the year before.
Total environmental protection expenditures 2024, by NACE industry, in percentage
Publication
Tables are available at http://www.scb.se/mi1302
Definitions and explanations
Environmental protection refers to activities that aim to prevent, reduce or eliminate pollution or other deterioration of the environment. Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, has produced common international definitions for environmental protection and how expenditures are to be calculated.
Investments in environmental protection are broken down into investments for emissions treatment that do not affect the process (such as filters and separate purification plants), and investments for the prevention of emissions involving investments in new or changed production processes. Current expenditure on environmental protection includes labour costs, expenditure for energy, materials, and supplies, such as for the operation and supervision of purification plants, for environmental administration tasks, environmental management and certification, as well as payments for collection and treatment of waste and wastewater. Costs for purchasing services carried out by others are also included.
Current prices reflect the nominal value, which is not adjusted for value changes due to inflation. Environmental protection expenditures are reported in current prices.
Comments
Environmental protection investments in the water domain will be revised upwards for the reference year 2023.