STOCKHOLM – Sweden’s government has reported that emigration has outpaced immigration, with more people leaving the country than moving there. Statistics Sweden, the official statistics agency, revealed that between January and May 2024, there were 5,700 more emigrants than immigrants. Migration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard noted that this trend is expected to continue and highlighted that asylum applications have reached their lowest point since 1997.
Minister Stenergard attributed the current figures to the government’s policies, which have tightened over time. In 2015, the Social Democrats shifted from Sweden’s previously liberal immigration stance, affecting asylum seekers from countries like Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, and Somalia.
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Under the current minority government led by conservative Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and supported by the far-right Sweden Democrats, several measures have been introduced to limit immigration. These include restricting asylum applications within Sweden, enforcing stricter asylum policies, and focusing on voluntary returns and deportations.
Recent statistics show a notable increase in departures among people from Iraq, Somalia, and Syria. Experts suggest that the stringent policies, combined with rising organized crime and challenges in poorer areas with higher migrant populations, are contributing to the growing emigration.
