Over-qualification rates by citizenship in Sweden

Sweden: Over-qualification rates by citizenship was 14.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
14.9%
Change on year
up 5.7%
World rank
31st
of 36 countries
All-time high
16.5%
in 2014
All-time low
11.3%
in 2002
Years of data
29
1997–2025

Over-qualification rates by citizenship in Sweden, 1997–2025

0510151997201120251997: 13.1 Percentage1998: 14.8 Percentage1999: 14.8 Percentage2000: 14.6 Percentage2001: 11.5 Percentage2002: 11.3 Percentage2003: 12.1 Percentage2004: 12.2 Percentage2005: 13.1 Percentage2006: 14.1 Percentage2007: 14.4 Percentage2008: 14.9 Percentage2009: 14.6 Percentage2010: 15.2 Percentage2011: 16 Percentage2012: 16.2 Percentage2013: 16.3 Percentage2014: 16.5 Percentage2015: 16.4 Percentage2016: 16.1 Percentage2017: 16.4 Percentage2018: 16.4 Percentage2019: 15.6 Percentage2020: 14.8 Percentage2021: 14 Percentage2022: 13.9 Percentage2023: 14 Percentage2024: 14.1 Percentage2025: 14.9 Percentage

Source: Eurostat. Measured in Percentage.

Analysis

The most recent figure for over-qualification rates by citizenship in Sweden is 14.9%, measured in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.7% on the previous year and down 9.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, over-qualification rates by citizenship in Sweden peaked at 16.5% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 11.3%, in 2002.

That places Sweden 31st out of 36 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 14.2% 13.1% 14.8% 3
2000s 13.3% 11.3% 14.9% 10
2010s 16.1% 15.2% 16.5% 10
2020s 14.3% 13.9% 14.9% 6

Countries ranked near Sweden

  1. 28 Denmark 16.3% compare
  2. 29 Portugal 16.1% compare
  3. 30 Romania 15.6% compare
  4. 32 Hungary 14.3% compare
  5. 33 Netherlands 14.1% compare
  6. 34 Czechia 13.1% compare
  7. 34 Croatia 13.1% compare

See the full ranking of 38 places →

More reference data data for Sweden

All data for Sweden →

Frequently asked questions

What is over-qualification rates by citizenship in Sweden?
Over-qualification rates by citizenship in Sweden was 14.9% in 2025, according to Eurostat.
What is the highest over-qualification rates by citizenship recorded in Sweden?
The highest recorded value was 16.5% in 2014.
What is the lowest over-qualification rates by citizenship recorded in Sweden?
The lowest recorded value was 11.3% in 2002.
How does Sweden rank for over-qualification rates by citizenship?
Sweden ranks 31st out of 36 countries with data for 2025.
Is over-qualification rates by citizenship rising or falling in Sweden?
Over the last ten years it is down 9.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Sweden data come from?
The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Over-qualification rates by citizenship. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).

About this data

Indicator
Over-qualification rates by citizenship
Unit
Percentage
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
38 places, 1,011 data points, 1995–2025
Last refreshed