2024
Child poverty at its lowest level in a decade, yet regional disparities remain
Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2026-03-24 8.00
Following a period of decline, child poverty has now reached its lowest level since 2014. Behind this positive trend, however, lie substantial geographical disparities that shape children’s living conditions across the country.
The share of children living with a low income standard has decreased over the past ten years
Most girls and boys in Sweden live in families with a high income standard (see Table 1). A low income standard means that the household income does not cover the estimated costs, whereas a high income standard means that the income is at least twice as large.
Table 1. Family income standard for girls and boys in 2024
|
Girls |
Boys |
Total |
|||||
Income standard |
Number |
Percentage |
Number |
Percentage |
Number |
Percentage |
||
Low |
63 |
6 |
67 |
6 |
130 |
6 |
||
Medium |
375 |
36 |
397 |
36 |
772 |
36 |
||
High |
586 |
56 |
621 |
56 |
1 206 |
56 |
||
Data missing |
21 |
2 |
22 |
2 |
43 |
2 |
||
- "The proportion of children living in families with a low income standard has decreased from 10 per cent in 2014 to 6 per cent in 2024" says Nikolaus Koutakis, Statistician at Statistics Sweden (SCB).
Figure 1. Decreasing number of children living in families with a low income standard
“Substantial variation between counties”
– “The statistics also show that there are significant regional differences,” says Maria Larsson, analyst at Statistics Sweden (SCB).
For example, in 2024 approximately 8 per cent of girls and boys in Södermanland and Skåne counties lived in families with a low income standard, while the corresponding proportion in Norrbotten, Västerbotten and Gotland counties was below 4.5 per cent.
“Greater variation between municipalities”
The variation between municipalities is greater than between counties. Municipalities range from 2 to 17 per cent in the share of children under the age of 18 living in families with a low income standard. In the municipality with the highest proportion, 16.7 per cent of children live in families with a low income standard. In the municipality with the lowest proportions, the total share is 1.7 per cent.
The presentation above on children living in families with a low income standard is one example of the information on children’s living conditions that has been updated today in SCB’s statistical database. In addition, other current data on the economic situation of families with children are available.
Definitions and explanations
Standardised cost estimates are calculated by the Konsumentverket and take into account the number of people in the household, the household’s age composition, and place of residence, as housing costs differ between municipalities.
The table below presents the threshold values for low and high income standards for two different family types living in a municipality outside the metropolitan areas.
Threshold values in Swedish kronor for low and high income standards for two different families. Disposable income per month. Year 2024.
|
Low income standard, income less than: |
High income standard, income greater than: |
|
|
Single parent with one child, aged 3 |
17 240 |
34 480 |
|
Cohabiting couple with two children, aged 3 and 6 |
27 294 |
54 588 |
The amounts refer to households residing in a municipality with more than 75,000 inhabitants, not belonging to Greater Stockholm, Greater Gothenburg or Greater Malmö.
Source: Statistics Sweden (SCB).
A low income standard means that the household income does not cover the estimated costs. A high income standard means that the income is at least twice as large. A family with a medium income standard has an income that covers its standardised costs, but is lower than that of those with a high income standard