Sweden

OECD’s periodic surveys of the Swedish economy. Each edition surveys the major challenges faced by the country, evaluates the short-term outlook, and makes specific policy recommendations. Special chapters take a more detailed look at specific challenges. Extensive statistical information is included in charts and graphs.

Études économiques consacrées périodiquement par l'OCDE à l’économie de la Suède. Chaque étude analyse les grands enjeux auxquels le pays fait face. Elle examine les perspectives à court terme et présente des recommandations détaillées à l’intention des décideurs politiques. Des chapitres thématiques analysent des enjeux spécifiques. Les tableaux et graphiques contiennent un large éventail de données statistiques.

new tax treaty with Slovenia (applicable 01/01/2022, replacing existing treaty with Yugoslavia)

This peer review report analyses the practical implementation of the standard of transparency and exchange of information on request (EOIR) in Sweden, as part of the second round of reviews conducted by the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes since 2016.

This country profile features selected environmental indicators from the OECD Core Set, building on harmonised datasets available on OECD.stat. The indicators reflect major environmental issues, including climate, air quality, freshwater resources, waste and the circular economy, and biodiversity. Differences with national data sources can occur due to delays in data treatment and publication, or due to different national definitions and measurement methods. The OECD is working with countries and other international organisations to further improve the indicators and the underlying data.

Public procurement is part of the government's climate action plan, which states that public procurement must contribute to achieving Sweden's climate goals. Sweden’s climate action plan mentions that environmental costs over the entire life cycle should be taken into account for reduced climate impact, that public procurement plays an important role in designing the transport infrastructure in accordance with the environmental and climate goals and that investments in transport infrastructure should gradually develop to become climate neutral. The climate action plan is part of the climate policy framework. According to this framework, the government must issue a climate action plan every four years.

While means-tested benefits such as minimum income benefits (MIB) and unemployment assistance (UA) are an essential safety net for low-income people and the unemployed, incomplete take-up is the rule rather than the exception. Building on desk research, open-ended surveys and semi-structured interviews, this paper investigates the opportunities and risks of using artificial intelligence (AI) for managing these means-tested benefits. This ranges from providing information to individuals, through determining eligibility based on pre-determined statutory criteria and identifying undue payments, to notifying individuals about their eligibility status. One of the key opportunities of using AI for these purposes is that this may improve the timeliness and take-up of MIB and UA. However, it may also lead to systematically biased eligibility assessments or increase inequalities, amongst others. Finally, the paper explores potential policy directions to help countries seize AI’s opportunities while addressing its risks, when using it for MIB or UA management.

Improving rural development, well-being and maximising the potential in rural areas requires greater horizontal and vertical co-ordination at the national, regional, and local level as well as the mainstreaming of rural issues across all policies. However, taking an integrated approach to rural development - where rural ministries and non-rural ministries coordinate in the development of polices and initiatives - is often very challenging. Rural proofing is a tool to help policy makers overcome this challenge and develop more nuanced rural-friendly policies. It involves making policy decisions based on evidence on rural dynamics available in a timely fashion to enable changes and adjustments. In practice, however, it is a mechanism that has proved complex to design, implement, and sustain. This article explores how more robust rural proofing models can be developed, with health as a focal point. Drawing on lessons from different OECD member countries, it develops a roadmap for more effective rural proofing mechanisms to help embed the practice in the policy space and culture of governments.

Sweden is an ambitious and influential actor in sustainable development. It is committed to making its development assistance more focused, relevant, effective and transparent. Sweden focuses on Ukraine, humanitarian support, democracy, climate action, gender equality, trade and migration. Its development co-operation focuses on poverty reduction and sub-Saharan Africa. Sweden’s total official development assistance (ODA) (USD 5.6 billion, preliminary data) increased in 2023, representing 0.91% of gross national income (GNI).

Après avoir stagné en 2023, le PIB devrait croître au rythme de 0.6 % en 2024 et 2.6 % en 2025. L’inflation devrait converger rapidement vers son objectif. L’activité économique devrait rester atone à court terme, mais la consommation privée redémarrera progressivement en 2024 et 2025, tirée par la hausse des revenus réels, le fléchissement des coûts de service de la dette et l’amélioration du marché du travail. L’assouplissement graduel des conditions de crédit, la diminution des coûts de construction et l’embellie de la demande extérieure porteront les investissements privés.

After stalling in 2023, growth is projected to pick up to 0.6% in 2024 and 2.6% in 2025. Inflation is expected to converge rapidly to target. Economic activity is set to remain subdued in the near term, but private consumption will gradually pick up throughout 2024 and 2025 buoyed by real income growth, lower debt servicing costs, and an improving labour market. A gradual easing of credit conditions, lower construction costs and higher external demand will support private investments.

This chapter includes data on the income taxes paid by workers, their social security contributions, the family benefits they receive in the form of cash transfers as well as the social security contributions and payroll taxes paid by their employers. Results reported include the marginal and average tax burden for eight different family types.Methodological information is available for personal income tax systems, compulsory social security contributions to schemes operated within the government sector, universal cash transfers as well as recent changes in the tax/benefit system. The methodology also includes the parameter values and tax equations underlying the data.

This report provides an assessment of the Swedish corporate bond market and policy recommendations to improve its functioning, drawing from detailed empirical analysis and in-depth interviews with market participants. It includes two empirical chapters which provide insights into the market's evolution over the last two decades based on original data, emphasising changes since the 2008 financial crisis with respect to market size, issuer characteristics, credit quality, industry composition and investor universe. These developments are also considered in an international context, comparing the Swedish market with selected peer countries, both in Europe and elsewhere.

La Sierra Leone compte quatre conventions fiscales en vigueur, ainsi que l’indique sa réponse au questionnaire d’examen par les pairs, dont l’Acte additionnel multilatéral A/SA 5/12/18 portant adoption des règles communautaires pour l’élimination de la double imposition en matière d’impôts sur les revenus, les capitaux et les successions et la prévention de la fraude et de l’évasion fiscale entre les États membres de la CEDEAO (l’Acte additionnel de la CEDEAO) conclu avec 14 partenaires. L’une de ces conventions, l’Acte additionnel de la CEDEAO, est conforme au standard minimum.

Sweden has 83 tax agreements in force as reported in its response to the Peer Review questionnaire, including the multilateral Nordic Convention concluded with Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland and Norway (the “Nordic Convention”). See the Multilateral convention concluded by Denmark, Finland, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Norway and Sweden: for the avoidance of double taxation with respect to taxes on income and on capital (1996, 1997, 2008 and 2018). Nine of those agreements, including the Nordic Convention, comply with the minimum standard.

SMEs' dominance in the Swedish business landscape, with 99% representation, underscores their crucial role in the economy, but the contrasting value-added contributions between micro and large enterprises reveal an intricate economic structure where size significantly matters.