5.1 million homes in the country

Statistics Sweden announced in its annual report that the housing stock as of December 31, 2021 in Sweden was now close to passing 5.1 million homes - the number of residential apartments in the various housing types amounted to 5,096,007 homes.

Of this, apartments in apartment buildings continue to account for the largest share with over 50 percent – 2,626,837 apartments (see image above). Apartments in single-family homes accounted for 41 percent of the stock. The rest consists of student apartments, senior citizens' homes, etc.

Tenancy law dominates in 257 of the country's municipalities

In apartment buildings, rental property is the most common form of tenure, with 58 percent (just over 1.5 million apartments) of the stock, while 42 percent (just under 1.1 million apartments) are tenant-owned apartments. Of the country's 290 municipalities, rental property dominates in 257 and in 11 of these, rental property is the only form of tenure. Only 33 municipalities have more tenant-owned apartments than rental properties, and 19 of these are located in Stockholm County.

Of the country's 10 largest municipalities in terms of population, tenancy rights dominate in eight, including Örebro, Norrköping, Linköping, Helsingborg and Jönköping. This is while tenant-ownership rights dominate in only two of the larger municipalities (Uppsala and Stockholm).

Housing associations the largest owner

In apartment buildings, 42 percent of the apartments are owned by tenant-owner associations. The next largest owners are public housing companies, which own 26 percent of the apartment building stock, followed by Swedish limited companies, which own 23 percent. The remaining 9 percent is owned by private individuals and other owners.

When it comes to single-family homes, the absolute majority, 91 percent, are owned by individuals. Housing associations own 5 percent, while public housing companies and Swedish limited companies own 2 percent each, Statistics Sweden reports.

Size of the homes

The most common apartment type in apartment buildings is 2 rooms and a kitchen, followed by 3 rooms and a kitchen. These two apartment types make up a full 68 percent of the housing stock in apartment buildings.

The average apartment in an apartment building is 67 square meters, and the average single-family home is 122 square meters.

Thank you Statistics Sweden for keeping a close eye on most things! Because these are important figures! What is absolutely most interesting about these for the industry is that behind these figures about the housing stock is the potential market that gives life to all players in the white goods and household appliance industry.

Concern in the ranks

There is great concern about the future development of apartments that have been started and the continued construction of housing. In its forecast, the Swedish Construction Association paints some dark clouds in the sky for the continued construction of housing in Sweden. Cement shortages, rising material prices and rising interest rates will lead to a sharp decline in construction this year and next year, it says in its forecast, which predicts that new housing production will plummet by approximately 20,000 apartments in the future. It is a gloomy forecast for the development of construction and the Swedish economy as a whole that the Swedish Construction Association has delivered.

Through its agreement with Nordkalk, Cementa will only be able to deliver 25 percent of its production capacity next year. ”We will have a shortage situation already at the end of the year,” says Johan Deremar, economist at the Swedish Construction Companies Association.

Kent Oderud

Market development