🧒 Child poverty in Sweden drops to lowest level in ten years

🧒 Child poverty in Sweden drops to lowest level in ten years

The share of children living in families with a low income standard has fallen from 10 percent to 6 percent since 2014. 56 percent of all children live in families with a high income standard, that corresponds to more than 1.2 million children.

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  • The share of children living in families with a low income standard has fallen from 10 percent to 6 percent since 2014.
  • 130,000 children currently live in families with a low income standard.
  • 56 percent of all children live in families with a high income standard, that corresponds to more than 1.2 million children.

Majority live in families with high income standard

The share of children in Sweden growing up in families with a low income standard is now at its lowest in a decade. That is according to new statistics from Statistics Sweden, SCB.

In 2024, 6 percent of all children under 18 lived in families with a low income standard. That is a decrease from 10 percent in 2014. In absolute numbers, it amounts to 130,000 children, of which 63,000 are girls and 67,000 are boys.

At the same time, 56 percent of all children live in families with a high income standard, meaning the family's income is at least twice the estimated costs. That corresponds to more than 1.2 million children. An additional 36 percent live in families with a medium income standard.

The income standard measure describes how much money a family has left after taxes and fees, with any benefits included, relative to estimated costs for items such as food, housing, home insurance and childcare. The standard costs are calculated by the Swedish Consumer Agency and take into account household size, age composition and place of residence.

What does low income standard mean in monetary terms?

For a single parent with a three-year-old child, a low income standard means a disposable income below 17,240 Swedish kronor per month. For cohabiting parents with two children aged three and six, the threshold is 27,294 kronor per month. The amounts apply to residents in municipalities with more than 75,000 inhabitants outside the major metropolitan areas.

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