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Foreign ownership and expatriate Swedes’ ownership of holiday homes in Sweden 2022

Just over 6 percent of holiday homes in Sweden have foreign owners

Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2023-03-23 8.00

In Sweden 38 065 holiday homes were owned by foreign owners in 2022, which is a marginal decrease compared to the previous year. Foreign ownership thus amounts to 6.2 percent of the total holiday home stock in the country.

Foreign owners mostly from Norway, Germany and Denmark

Foreign owners come primarily from Norway (12 357 holiday homes), Germany (10 787) and Denmark (9 883).

Large differences among counties

Regional variation in foreign ownership of holiday homes in relation to the total stock of holiday homes is considerable. The percentage of foreign ownership is by far the greatest in Kronoberg County at 38 percent and in Värmland at 24 percent. In Stockholm, Uppsala, Södermanland, Gotland and Västmanland counties, foreign ownership is less than 1 percent of the stock.

The largest numbers of foreign-owned holiday homes are located in Västra Götaland (7 783), Värmland (6 574), Kronoberg (4 546) and Skåne (3 345) counties.

Total number of holiday homes owned by natural persons 2022, of which those with owners from
County Total number of holiday homes owned by natural persons Of which those with owners from   Percentage of foreign owned holiday homes
    Denmark Norway Germany Netherlands Other countries Unknown country Total  
Stockholm 73 495 13 17 67 9 119 11 236 0.3
Uppsala 17 964 1 5 10 4 28 5 53 0.3
Södermanland 20 330 3 6 52 4 40 15 120 0.6
Östergötland 23 090 68 8 221 31 48 17 393 1.7
Jönköping 13 654 858 11 813 69 88 26 1 865 13.7
Kronoberg 11 998 2 919 12 1 369 90 116 40 4 546 37.9
Kalmar 32 042 549 34 2 138 132 153 77 3 083 9.6
Gotland 12 531 0 14 38 2 27 5 86 0.7
Blekinge 13 364 885 12 473 20 62 27 1 479 11.1
Skåne 44 511 2 360 94 601 42 171 77 3 345 7.5
Halland 24 975 1 074 34 449 17 64 22 1 660 6.6
Västra Götaland 77 833 491 5 156 1 557 131 318 130 7 783 10.0
Värmland 27 410 392 3 911 1 359 527 249 136 6 574 24.0
Örebro 14 826 35 19 238 53 45 17 407 2.7
Västmanland 9 665 1 5 12 1 17 3 39 0.4
Dalarna 45 428 128 326 365 92 155 27 1 093 2.4
Gävleborg 27 928 9 19 132 30 87 24 301 1.1
Västernorrland 25 220 13 50 253 41 145 64 566 2.2
Jämtland 32 622 39 1 411 253 57 132 35 1 927 5.9
Västerbotten 33 246 35 762 236 24 259 49 1 365 4.1
Norrbotten 29 791 10 451 151 21 460 51 1 144 3.8
Total 611 923 9 883 12 357 10 787 1 397 2 783 858 38 065 6.2

Expatriate Swedes’ ownership of holiday homes

In total, 13 369 holiday homes in Sweden are owned by Swedes living abroad. Swedes living in Norway own the largest number of holiday homes in Sweden (2 903). This is followed by Swedish owners living in Germany (1 569), the United Kingdom (1 182), USA (1 381), Switzerland (1 123) and Denmark (1 021).

The most common is that the Swedish expatriate own holiday homes in Västra Götaland (2 577), Skåne (1 960) and Stockholm County (1 691).

Total number of holiday homes owned by natural persons 2022, Of which those with Swedish owners living in
County Total number of holiday homes owned by natural persons Of which those with Swedish owners living in   Percentage of holiday homes owned by expatriate Swedes
    Norway Switzerland United Kingdom Germany USA Denmark Other countries Total  
Stockholm 73 495 77 192 216 156 262 34 754 1 691 2.3
Uppsala 17 964 11 20 20 16 35 3 87 192 1.1
Södermanland 20 330 19 20 45 53 55 8 134 334 1.6
Östergötland 23 090 46 42 36 46 38 14 150 372 1.6
Jönköping 13 654 20 24 19 59 21 56 84 283 2.1
Kronoberg 11 998 23 16 15 78 15 140 55 342 2.9
Kalmar 32 042 62 63 38 127 61 57 203 611 1.9
Gotland 12 531 23 14 14 21 37 7 92 208 1.7
Blekinge 13 364 29 32 18 55 26 81 75 316 2.4
Skåne 44 511 130 243 226 265 211 316 569 1 960 4.4
Halland 24 975 93 57 51 89 76 84 193 643 2.6
Västra Götaland 77 833 1 027 182 202 259 202 82 623 2 577 3.3
Värmland 27 410 610 37 42 70 43 41 150 993 3.6
Örebro 14 826 35 12 23 43 25 9 70 217 1.5
Västmanland 9 665 16 10 18 11 13 3 64 135 1.4
Dalarna 45 428 172 55 57 51 70 26 193 624 1.4
Gävleborg 27 928 66 30 41 35 50 10 118 350 1.3
Västernorrland 25 220 51 16 27 47 45 10 130 326 1.3
Jämtland 32 622 175 23 32 25 45 16 124 440 1.3
Västerbotten 33 246 117 22 26 36 27 16 114 358 1.1
Norrbotten 29 791 101 13 16 27 24 8 208 397 1.3
Total 611 923 2 903 1 123 1 182 1 569 1 381 1 021 4 190 13 369 2.2

Definitions and explanations

This statistical news defines holiday home as an assessment unit or taxation unit with no registered population and are assessed as building for agriculture, residential value less than SEK 50 000 (type code 113), building for agriculture, built (type code 120), one- or two-dwelling building, built (type code 220), one- or two-dwelling building, houses on leasehold (type code 225) and one- or two-dwelling building, building value less than SEK 50 000 (type code 213).

News from 2019 publication of holiday home

A type code has been added. It is building for agriculture, residential value less than SEK 50 000 (type code 113).

All assessment units, one- or two-dwelling building, houses on leasehold (type code 225) is now considered a holiday home.

For agricultural units it is also required that the agriculture is not active. As of 2019, only those with agricultural-related business codes are counted as active agriculture, which means that fewer agricultural units are excluded.

The changes that have been made result in just over 24,000 more holiday homes for the year 2019 compared to the previously used method.

Statistics Sweden will publish new time series according to the new definition later this spring when comparisons can be made for longer time periods.

Foreign ownership means that the owner responsible for his or her tax return has neither a Swedish postal address nor a Swedish personal identity number. The country reported in these statistics is based on the country where the owner has their postal address, and only natural persons are included in the survey.

Expatriate Swedes’ ownership means that the owner responsible for his/her tax return does not have a Swedish postal address, but does have a Swedish personal identity number. The country reported in these statistics is based on the country where the owner has their postal address, and only natural persons are included in the survey.

The information was retrieved from the 2022 Real Estate Tax Assessment Register (FTR) and refers to the situation on 1 January 2022. Statistics Sweden receives the Real Estate Tax Assessment Register from the Swedish Tax Agency.

The objects reported are assessment units or taxation units. Assessment units and taxation units are defined in FTR as that which is assessed or taxed independently and generally consists of property with a building and a lot.

Feel free to use the facts from this statistical news but remember to state Source: Statistics Sweden.

Statistical agency

Statistics Sweden

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Martin Verhage

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