National averages — demographics & economy (2025)
Every national-average value used in demographic comparisons: foreign-background share by school form, municipal vs. independent split, tax capacity and population. Municipal means with source, year and per-row anchor.
All national averages — demographics & economy
| Metric | National average | Unit | Year | Source | N (municipalities) | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # Foreign-background pupils, compulsory Share of compulsory-school pupils with foreign background (foreign-born or with two foreign-born parents). Unweighted municipal mean. | 21.7 | % | 2025 | Kolada | 290 | |
| # Foreign background, municipal schools Share of foreign-background pupils in municipal compulsory schools. | 22.1 | % | 2025 | Kolada | 267 | |
| # Foreign background, independent schools Share of foreign-background pupils in independent compulsory schools. | 22.5 | % | 2025 | Kolada | 157 | |
| # Foreign background, municipal upper secondary Share of municipal-gymnasium pupils with foreign background. Unweighted municipal mean. Independent upper-secondary schools are not in this Kolada KPI. | 28.1 | % | 2025 | Kolada | 209 | |
| # Share in municipal compulsory schools Share of compulsory-school pupils attending a municipal school in their home municipality (the rest attend independent schools or a school in another municipality). Unweighted municipal mean. | 88.8 | % | 2025 | Kolada | 290 | |
| # Share in independent or other-municipality compulsory schools Share of compulsory-school pupils in independent schools or schools in another municipality. Unweighted municipal mean — Kolada bundles these two categories, so commuter municipalities will read higher than the pure friskole share. | 11.2 | % | 2025 | Kolada | 290 | |
| # Tax capacity per inhabitant Taxable income per inhabitant — proxy for the municipality's economic base. Unweighted municipal mean. | 260,150 | SEK | 2025 | Kolada | 290 | |
| # Population per municipality Average population per municipality. Unweighted — Stockholm (~1 M) counts the same as a small municipality. | 36,571 | inhabitants | 2025 | Kolada | 290 |
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How the national average is calculated
All values come from Kolada (municipal level) as an unweighted mean across Sweden's municipalities. Aggregate rows (Riket, typkommun groupings) are filtered out.
Demographic shares (foreign background, municipal/independent) are pupil-based; tax capacity and population are municipal totals. Be aware that unweighted means differ markedly from pupil-weighted ones — especially for demographic variables where metropolitan municipalities have the highest shares.
Detailed formulas are in the method policy. Raw data for demographic KPIs comes directly from Kolada under CC BY 4.0; our CSV export at /en/download/municipalities/ currently only carries compulsory-school fields.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as 'foreign background'?
SCB's definition: a person born abroad (1st-generation immigrant) or born in Sweden to two foreign-born parents (2nd generation). Third-generation immigrants count as Swedish background.
Why does foreign-background share differ between municipal and independent schools?
The pattern varies sharply between municipalities. In segregated metropolitan municipalities, independent schools often have a lower share (school choice enables socioeconomic sorting). In other municipalities, the distribution is more even.
What is tax capacity (skattekraft)?
Taxable income per inhabitant — a proxy for the municipality's economic resource base. Recently rose in several major cities due to inflation. The state equalisation system redistributes between municipalities, but baseline differences still create budget gaps.
Unweighted or weighted mean?
Unweighted municipal mean — Stockholm (~1 M inhabitants) counts the same as Bjurholm (~2 500). Misleading for population averages but fair for inter-municipal political comparisons. Use a pupil-weighted figure if you want "the average pupil" instead.