- The differences between the various counties are largely due to the different industrial structures driving their development. This has been particularly evident in 2022, says Dolan Haddad, economist at Statistics Sweden (SCB).

The Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) increased in the majority of counties in 2022. Five counties experienced significant growth during the year and continued the positive trend from the previous year. Among these, Västerbotten County recorded the highest growth in GRDP, with an increase of 8.9 percent in constant prices. Following that, Uppsala County experienced an 8.5 percent increase, while Värmland, Kronoberg, and Västernorrland counties reported growth of 6.3, 5.9 and 5.1 percent, respectively.

Conversely, several counties that had shown strong recovery in 2021 experienced a downturn in 2022, showing negative growth. Norrbotten County had the largest decrease, at -6.8 percent, followed by Blekinge County, which decreased by -6.1 percent.

Sweden's GDP grew by 1.5 percent in constant prices in 2022. Stockholm and Västra Götaland counties, which accounted for 32 percent and 17 percent of Sweden’s GDP respectively, together contributed to about a half of the total increase. The contributions from the remaining counties did not exceed 0.1 percentage points each, except for Uppsala County, which contributed by 0.3 percentage points.

The differences in volume growth rates between various counties reflect their diverse industrial structures. Among the producers of goods that contributed positively to development were the manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products, chemicals and basic pharmaceutical products, the coal and refined petroleum products industry, manufacture of wood and of products of wood and cork (except furniture), manufacture of articles of straw and plaiting materials. Goods-producing sectors that experienced significant declines included forestry and logging, mineral extract, manufacture of basic metals, manufacture of motor vehicles, and manufacture of other transport equipment.

Among the producers of services, the largest growth was seen in transportation (excluding water transport), arts entertainment and recreation, and the hotels and restaurants. Service-producing industries that experienced significant declines were telecommunications and trade.

Two counties remained above national average in GRDP per capita

Stockholm County and Norrbotten County continued to be above the national average GRDP per capita. Stockholm County had the highest GRDP per capita at SEK 758,000, followed by Norrbotten with SEK 636,000. Västra Götaland matched the national average at SEK 559,000. However, the measure of GRDP per capita is affected by commuting.

Four counties above national average in GRDP Per Employee

The national average for GRDP per employee was SEK 1,086,000 in 2022. As in the previous year, Stockholm County and Norrbotten County were above the average, with a GRDP per employee of SEK 1,292,000 and SEK 1,278,000 respectively, in current prices. Additionally, two more counties surpassed the average in 2022. Uppsala County and Västerbotten County recorded a GRDP per employee of SEK 1,107,000 and SEK1,089,000, respectively.

Disposable income per inhabitant increased in all counties in 2022

In 2022, the average disposable income per inhabitant in Sweden was SEK 260,000, which represents a 6.6 percent increase in current prices compared to 2021. Stockholm and Halland were the only counties with disposable incomes above the national average. Stockholm also had the highest disposable income per inhabitant in 2022. The county’s disposable income was SEK 303,000, an increase of 7.1 percent from the previous year. The lowest disposable income per inhabitant in 2022 was in Gävleborgs County. The county experienced an increase by 5.4 percent, with a disposable income per inhabitant by SEK 235,000.

All counties saw positive growth in disposable income per inhabitant in 2022 compared to the previous year. The largest increase was reported in Blekinge and Örebro County, where both counties experienced an increase of 7.2 percent. The smallest increase was in Västerbotten County, with an increase of 4.8 percent.

Gross fixed capital formation increased in upper Norrland

Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) increased, in current prices, in seven out of eight NUTS 2 regions in 2022 (for more information on NUTS 2 regions, see the explanatory notes at the end of this publication). The largest increase in GFCF was noted in East-Central Sweden where investments increased by SEK 49.8 billion compared with the previous year. Upper Norrland showed the largest growth and increased by 39.2 percent in current prices, which can be compared to the increase of 9.5 percent for the entire country. Only South Sweden noted a decrease in GFCF and fell by 1.5 percent in current prices.

Regional accounts for 2023 will be published on 2025-12-17 at 08:00.