Field: Internationalisering

Foreign controlled enterprises 2019

Foreign control of enterprises decreased in Sweden with 645 enterprises in 2020. After the Decrease there were 15,804 foreign controlled enterprises in Sweden.

The number of employees in the foreign controlled enterprises increased with 24,351 persons, which was an increase with 4 percent compared to last year’s survey. This meant that there were 707,500 employees in foreign-owned companies in Sweden in 2020.

German ownership increased

Germany was the country that accounted for the largest increase of foreign controlled enterprises in Sweden between 2019 and 2020 with an increase of 197 enterprises. Germany is also responsible for the largest increase over a longer period, since 2010 the number of companies owned from Germany has increased by 566. Norway is the country that controls most enterprises in Sweden (2,467 companies) followed by the Great Britain (1,746 companies) and the US (1,634 companies).


The number of employees increases most in companies controlled from the Netherlands

Several countries increased their number of employees in Sweden in 2020. The largest increases occurred in companies controlled from the Netherlands, Canada, and Belgium. The increases amounted to 21 001, 6,698 and 4,496 employees. Over a longer period in 2010 to 2020, the largest increase in the number of employees has been in companies controlled from the Netherlands and Norway with 28,674 and 21,132 employees.


Highest number of employees in German controlled enterprises

Germany is once again the ownership country with the highest number of employees, 82,325; followed by Norway and the US with 74,728 and 73,972 employees respectively. All three countries with the highest number of employees in Sweden in 2020 were also in top the last six years.

A few large enterprises provide most employment

Of the foreign companies in 2020, 48 per cent had no employees and 40 per cent of the companies had 1 to 49 employees in Sweden. These enterprises, however, accounted only for 11 per cent of employees in foreign controlled enterprises. Large enterprises with 250 or more employees accounted for 3 per cent of all foreign controlled enterprises, but their share of employment was 67 per cent of all employees in foreign controlled enterprises. The companies with 50 to 249 employees in Sweden accounted for 9 per cent of the foreign companies and its share of employment was 22 per cent.

Foreign controlled enterprises 2019

Serial number: Statistik 2022:03

Reference number: 2022/95

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