Autopsy rate in Sweden
Sweden: Autopsy rate was 8.9% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Autopsy rate in Sweden, 1980–2020
Source: Paratz et al. (2023); World Health Organization (2022) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sweden recorded 8.9% for autopsy rate in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 41 years on record.
That represents a change of down 15.0% on the previous year and down 21.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, autopsy rate in Sweden peaked at 41.4% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 8.9%, in 2020.
Sweden ranks 16th of 39 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Autopsy rate in Sweden, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 41.4% | — |
| 1981 | 40.2% | -2.7% |
| 1982 | 40.2% | -0.2% |
| 1983 | 39.4% | -1.9% |
| 1984 | 39.0% | -1.0% |
| 1985 | 37.4% | -4.2% |
| 1986 | 37.3% | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 36.4% | -2.4% |
| 1988 | 33.0% | -9.2% |
| 1989 | 32.8% | -0.9% |
| 1990 | 29.1% | -11.1% |
| 1991 | 25.7% | -11.8% |
| 1992 | 21.9% | -14.8% |
| 1993 | 21.2% | -3.0% |
| 1994 | 21.0% | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 19.8% | -5.7% |
| 1996 | 18.6% | -6.2% |
| 1997 | 17.6% | -5.5% |
| 1998 | 17.4% | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 16.1% | -7.2% |
| 2000 | 15.3% | -5.0% |
| 2001 | 14.9% | -2.4% |
| 2002 | 14.0% | -6.3% |
| 2003 | 14.3% | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 13.9% | -2.8% |
| 2005 | 13.4% | -3.9% |
| 2006 | 13.1% | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 12.3% | -5.9% |
| 2008 | 12.0% | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 12.1% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 11.3% | -6.1% |
| 2011 | 10.9% | -3.5% |
| 2012 | 10.8% | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 11.2% | +3.9% |
| 2014 | 11.1% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 11.3% | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 10.9% | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 10.5% | -3.7% |
| 2018 | 10.7% | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 10.5% | -2.1% |
| 2020 | 8.9% | -15.0% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 8.9% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 8.0%, 1.1× the median. (37 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 8.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 8.6%, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 37.7% | 32.8% | 41.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.8% | 16.1% | 29.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.5% | 12.0% | 15.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.9% | 10.5% | 11.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.9% | 8.9% | 8.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More reference data data for Sweden
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.4328 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.2237 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.68 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2063 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.68 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.9766 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.13 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 8.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.12 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is autopsy rate in Sweden?
- Autopsy rate in Sweden was 8.9% in 2020, according to Paratz et al. (2023); World Health Organization (2022) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest autopsy rate recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 41.4% in 1980.
- What is the lowest autopsy rate recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.9% in 2020.
- How does Sweden rank for autopsy rate?
- Sweden ranks 16th out of 39 countries with data for 2020.
- Is autopsy rate rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sweden data come from?
- The figures come from Paratz et al. (2023); World Health Organization (2022) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Autopsy rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 41 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The share of all deaths for which an autopsy was performed. Autopsies may be used to determine the cause of sudden deaths; when there is a lack of doctors and nurses, medical records, or death certificate training; or for other legal or cultural reasons.