For the first time in over half a century, Sweden is seeing more people leaving the country than arriving – a reversal of long-standing immigration patterns, Swedish Migration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said at a press conference on August 8th.
This shift is part of a broader trend of reduced numbers of asylum seekers and granted residence permits in the country, she said.
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A decrease in the number of asylum seekers
The trend of fewer asylum seekers coming to Sweden has continued from the previous year.
According to the Swedish Migration Agency's forecast, Sweden is on track to receive the lowest number of asylum seekers since 1997.
Stenergard pointed out that while the number of asylum seekers across the European Union (EU) remains high, Sweden's figures continue to decline.
Up to week 30 (July 22nd - July 28th) of this year, only 5,600 asylum applications were registered, marking a 27 percent decrease compared to the same period last year.
"The government's work yields results. The number of asylum applications is heading towards a historically low level, asylum-related residence permits continue to decrease, and for the first time in 50 years, Sweden has net emigration.
"This development towards sustainable immigration is necessary for us to be able to strengthen integration and reduce exclusion," Stenergard said.
Changing migration demographics
In 2023, emigration increased notably among individuals born in Iraq, Somalia, and Syria.
As a result, net immigration figures for these countries turned negative.
Preliminary statistics from Statistics Sweden, the government agency that produces official statistics, indicate that Sweden has had negative net immigration up to and including May this year.
This outcome is partly attributed to efforts to improve population registration, as noted in the Migration Ministry's press release.
Earlier in August, Migration Agency figures showed that the number of work permits issued in Sweden in the first six months of 2024 has dropped by almost half compared to the same period in 2023, indicating that the higher salary threshold that came into effect in November is having an effect.
But despite Sweden's stated goal to attract more high-skilled immigrants, approved work permits for highly qualified workers also plummeted in the first five months of the year, as The Local revealed last month.
Sweden approved 20 percent fewer work permits for highly qualified workers in January-May 2024 compared to the same period last year.
Among IT architects, system developers and test leaders – the profession with the highest number of work permit holders – granted permits dropped by around 30 percent.
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