Don't miss these interesting and most recent statistics about travel and tourism in Sweden, from the number of annual tourists to its GDP contributions.
Sweden. Its many lakes, forests, and islands.
And home to IKEA, of course.
It’s a truly gorgeous country with so many incredible things to do and places to see. So, it’s no wonder that Sweden’s tourism is growing.
But did you know that in 2021, Sweden received 2.99 million tourists?
Or that Germans spent the highest number of nights in this Scandinavian country?
We’ve compiled some of the latest and most interesting statistics about travel and tourism in Sweden, just for you!
Let’s get started.
Sources: We have included the source for each statistic below, or you can head over to the end of this post for the full list of references and sources used.
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Sweden welcomed 2.99 million tourists in 2021, ranking 39th in the world.
International tourists in Sweden also spent an increasing number of nights every year from 12 million in 2008 to 17.5 million in 2019, before dropping due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
What is the tourism trend in Sweden?
Between 2023 and 2027, tourism revenue is expected to show an annual growth rate of 2.79% until hitting a market volume of US$7.19 billion by 2027.
This is based on the trend of tourism receipts from 2012 to 2021.
What is the impact of tourism in Sweden?
The revenue in the Swedish travel and tourism market is expected to reach 6.44 billion US dollars in 2023.
Does Sweden rely on tourism?
In 2021, Sweden’s tourism industry generated 6.03 billion US dollars, which represented 1% of its GDP and 11% of the total international tourism receipts in Northern Europe.
While tourism generates healthy numbers in terms of revenue for Sweden, it is not the country’s largest source of income.
Sweden travel and tourism key statistics
International tourists in Sweden spent an increasing number of nights every year from 12 million in 2008 to 17.5 million in 2019.
Based on total number of nights spent in accommodations in Sweden, Germany was the leading source market for inbound tourism in Sweden in 2021 with more than 1.7 million nights.
However, before the pandemic, Norway was the leading inbound travel market for Sweden. Norwegians made 3.5 million overnight stays in 2018.
In 2021, Swedish residents took a total of 122.67 million domestic trips.
Between 2023 and 2027, tourism revenue is expected to show an annual growth rate of 2.79% until hitting a market volume of US$7.19 billion by 2027.
In 2021, Sweden’s tourism industry generated 6.03 billion US dollars, which represents 1% of its GDP and 11% of the total international tourism receipts in Northern Europe.
In 2020, there were 2,150 hotels in Sweden, which was 7 more than in 2019.
Hotels in Sweden had an occupancy rate of 34.1% in 2020.
The volume of travellers through the Stockholm airports was 30.5 million in 2019, which dropped to 8.7 million in 2021.
International tourism in Sweden statistics
How many tourists visit Sweden every year?
1. International tourists in Sweden spent an increasing number of nights every year from 12 million in 2008 to 17.5 million in 2019.
[Statista]
2. Unfortunately, this fell to just 5.18 million nights in 2020 due to the pandemic, before increasing slightly to 7.27 million in 2021.
3. Based on total number of nights spent in accommodations in Sweden, Germany was the leading source market for inbound tourism in Sweden in 2021 with more than 1.7 million nights.
4. However, before the pandemic, Norway was the leading inbound travel market for Sweden. Norwegians made 3.5 million overnight stays in 2018.
[Statista]
In 2018, German tourists took second place with just over 3 million overnight stays.
Tourists from Denmark, same as in 2021, also took third place in 2018 with 1.3 million overnight stays.
5. Sweden welcomed 2.99 million tourists in 2021, ranking 39th in the world.
[World Data]
This was an increase from the 1.96 million tourists in 2020, but still far from the 7.62 million tourists recorded in 2019.
6. International arrivals in Sweden rose by 109.6% in 2022, whereas international departures grew by 143.5%.
[Global Data]
Domestic tourism in Sweden
How many domestic tourists are there in Sweden?
7. In 2021, Swedish residents took a total of 122.67 million domestic trips.
[OECD]
8. Interestingly, this was a significant jump from the 56.17 million domestic trips taken in 2021, and a slight decrease from 128.8 million in 2021.
[OECD]
This might indicate that Swedish residents took more domestic trips during the Covid-19 pandemic due to restrictions on international travel.
9. In terms of the number of nights spent in accommodations across Sweden by domestic tourists, 46.9 million in 2021, which is a significant increase from 38.1 million recorded in 2020.
[Statista]
10. 58.3% of all domestic trips taken by Swedish residents in 2021 were same-day trips instead of overnight.
[OECD]
11. Domestic tourism spending in Sweden in 2020 was 137 billion Swedish kronor, falling by 31.8% from 2019.
[Statista]
For reference, Sweden’s population is 10.5 million inhabitants.
12. In 2021, Swedish households spent a total of 9 billion kronor on package holidays.
[Statista]
Outbound tourism from Sweden statistics
Where do Swedish tourists travel to the most?
13. The number of outbound trips made from Sweden was 7.62 million in 2021, roughly only 40% of the pre-pandemic figures.
[OECD]
14. The most popular travel destination for Swedish outbound tourists in 2020 was Spain, with almost 300 thousand trips taken in that year.
[Statista]
Denmark was the second most visited country by tourists from Sweden. In fact, Denmark makes for an excellent destination to include in your Sweden road trip!
The only non-European country to make the top 10 destinations in 2020 was Thailand.
15. In 2021, Sweden ranked fifth as the EU country that travelled the most, with 78% of its population participating in tourism in 2021.
[Statista]
In comparison, the EU country with the highest proportion of its population participating in tourism in 2021 was Switzerland (82.2%).
The economics of tourism in Sweden
Does Sweden rely on tourism?
16. In 2020, international tourists spent less than 50 billion kronor in Sweden, which was 48% of the 2019 expenditure.
[Statista]
17. The number in 2018 was 171.8 billion kronor spent by international tourists in Sweden.
[Statista]
This was expected to rise to 186.7 billion kronor by 2028.
18. The revenue in the Swedish travel and tourism market is expected to reach 6.44 billion US dollars in 2023.
[Statista]
19. Between 2023 and 2027, tourism revenue is expected to show an annual growth rate of 2.79% until hitting a market volume of US$7.19 billion by 2027.
[Statista]
20. In 2021, Sweden’s tourism industry generated 6.03 billion US dollars, which represents 1% of its GDP and 11% of the total international tourism receipts in Northern Europe.
[World Data]
This was a slight recovery from 2020, but has yet to reach its 2019 levels.
21. Before the pandemic, revenues from tourism in Sweden were $9.17 billion billion, or 1.7% of GDP.
[World Data]
In 1995, tourism revenues in Sweden were at 4.39 billion USD, which has consistently increased throughout the years.
22. In 2020, tourism receipts fell drastically to $4.35 billion billion, which was a 53% decrease from 2019.
[World Data]
23. In Sweden, accommodation revenue increased from 2009 to 2019, reaching 26.5 billion Swedish kronor in 2019.
[Statista]
24. 84% of total revenue in Swedish tourism will be generated through online sales by 2027.
[Statista]
Online travel booking is expected to have an increasingly large role within the tourism industry in Sweden.
25. 101,000 people were employed in the tourism industry in Sweden in 2021, and tourism contributed an export value of SEK 57 billion.
[Visit Stockholm]
Travel accommodation in Sweden
How many hotels are there in Sweden?
26. In 2020, there were 2,150 hotels in Sweden, which was 7 more than in 2019.
[Statista]
27. Meanwhile, as of 2020, there were 874 youth hostels and 282 holiday villages in Sweden.
[Statista]
28. Hotels in Sweden had an occupancy rate of 34.1% in 2020. This was one of the lowest rates recorded, with the next lowest occupancy being in 2009, at 48.2%.
32. Stockholm received a record-high number of visitors in 2019, with 15.3 million overnight stays recorded in Stockholm County.
[Visit Stockholm]
In this year, Stockholm ranked as the 13th most visited destination in Europe, after Hamburg.
It’s possible to experience what Stockholm has to offer in just one day!
33. In 2019, the average overnight stay for visitors to Stockholm was 2.7 nights.
[Visit Stockholm]
34. Most foreign owned holiday houses in Sweden are found in Västra Götaland county (7,575 houses).
[Statista]
Most holiday houses that are owned by a foreign national in Sweden are owned by a Norwegian. This is mainly due to the proximity of both countries.
35. Västra Götaland is also the most popular county for domestic owners of holiday houses, with 77,603 properties recorded in 2020.
[Statista]
Stockholm takes second place with 72,808 houses, Dalarna with 44,927 houses, while Värmland sits on the 10th rank with 27,235 houses.
Travel and tourism trends in Sweden
What is the tourism trend in Sweden?
36. The volume of travellers through the Stockholm airports was 30.5 million in 2019, which dropped to 8.7 million in 2021.
[Visit Stockholm]
Stockholm is the most popular place for tourists to fly into. From there, it’s possible to rent a car and explore Sweden on your own.
37. During the 2010s, roughly 10 million people passed through Stockholm’s ports annually, with the majority of journeys being to and from Finland.
[Visit Stockholm]
38. Until 2019, business travellers rented most hotel rooms in Stockholm, but the gap with rooms rented by leisure travellers has shrunk until 2021, when more holidaymakers rent hotel rooms in Stockholm compared to business travellers.
39. In 2022, a survey by Visit Stockholm on a citizens' panel showed that 9 in 10 Stockholmers have a positive attitude towards visitors in their city.
[Visit Stockholm]
Summary
That’s all for the most recent statistics on Sweden’s travel and tourism.
Hopefully, this helped you understand the industry and market more.
Did we miss anything crucial about Swedish tourism?
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