Sweden Demographics: Median age, Gender, Religion

Median age history and projection chart in
Sweden vs World

Table

Year	Median age
	Sweden	World
1960	36	22.5
1961	36.2	22.5
1962	36.3	22.4
1963	36.3	22.2
1964	36.3	22
1965	36.2	21.8
1966	36	21.7
1967	35.9	21.6
1968	35.8	21.5
1969	35.6	21.5
1970	35.4	21.4
1971	35.3	21.4
1972	35.3	21.5
1973	35.3	21.5
1974	35.3	21.6
1975	35.3	21.7
1976	35.4	21.9
1977	35.5	22
1978	35.7	22.2
1979	36	22.3
1980	36.2	22.5
1981	36.5	22.6
1982	36.8	22.7
1983	37.1	22.9
1984	37.4	23
1985	37.6	23.2
1986	37.9	23.3
1987	38.1	23.4
1988	38.2	23.6
1989	38.3	23.8
1990	38.3	23.9
1991	38.3	24.1
1992	38.4	24.3
1993	38.4	24.5
1994	38.4	24.7
1995	38.5	25
1996	38.6	25.2
1997	38.8	25.4
1998	39	25.7
1999	39.2	25.9
2000	39.4	26.1
2001	39.5	26.3
2002	39.7	26.5
2003	39.8	26.7
2004	40	27
2005	40.2	27.2
2006	40.4	27.4
2007	40.5	27.6
2008	40.6	27.8
2009	40.7	28
2010	40.7	28.2
2011	40.8	28.4
2012	40.9	28.6
2013	40.9	28.9
2014	40.9	29.1
2015	40.9	29.3
2016	40.8	29.5
2017	40.7	29.8
2018	40.6	30
2019	40.5	30.3
2020	40.6	30.6
2021	40.7	30.8
2022	40.7	31
2023	40.9	31.3
2024	41.1	31.6
2025	41.3	31.9
2026	41.5	32.1
2027	41.7	32.3
2028	41.9	32.6
2029	42.1	32.8
2030	42.3	33
2031	42.6	33.2
2032	42.9	33.4
2033	43.2	33.6
2034	43.4	33.8
2035	43.7	34
2036	44	34.2
2037	44.2	34.4
2038	44.4	34.6
2039	44.6	34.8
2040	44.7	35
2041	44.8	35.2
2042	44.8	35.4
2043	44.8	35.6
2044	44.8	35.8
2045	44.8	36
2046	44.8	36.2
2047	44.8	36.4
2048	44.9	36.6
2049	45	36.8
2050	45.1	37.1

In 1960, the median age in Sweden was 36 years compared to the world's average of 22.5 years. As of 2024, the median age had increased to 41.1 years compared to the world's average of 31.6 years. Ranked 2nd for median age 64 years ago (old to young), Sweden ranks 39th currently.

According to the United Nations projections, the median age in Sweden is expected to increase to around 45.1 years by 2050. The aging demographics forecast is based on previous years' birth rates and increasing life expectancy.

Sweden demographic pyramid: age and gender distribution

Table

Age range	Share of population
	Sweden
	Male	Female
0-4	2.65%	2.51%
5-9	3%	2.83%
10-14	3.08%	2.91%
15-19	3.01%	2.84%
20-24	2.93%	2.67%
25-29	3.11%	2.85%
30-34	3.75%	3.56%
35-39	3.53%	3.34%
40-44	3.2%	3.04%
45-49	3.09%	2.98%
50-54	3.19%	3.11%
55-59	3.25%	3.17%
60-64	2.85%	2.81%
65-69	2.57%	2.6%
70-74	2.36%	2.48%
75-79	2.28%	2.49%
80+	2.52%	3.44%

The chart above is a variation of the population pyramid and represents the age and gender structure. Sweden has low demographic potential with 41.7% of people in the 0-34 age group (ranked 155/196).

Age dependency chart

Table

Year	Age dependency ratio
	Sweden			World
	Total	Young	Old	Total	Young	Old
1960	51.9%	34.1%	17.9%	73.5%	64.9%	8.62%
1961	51.3%	33.2%	18.1%	73.8%	65.1%	8.67%
1962	50.8%	32.5%	18.3%	74.1%	65.4%	8.73%
1963	50.5%	31.9%	18.5%	74.9%	66.1%	8.79%
1964	50.4%	31.6%	18.8%	75.5%	66.6%	8.85%
1965	50.6%	31.5%	19.1%	75.8%	66.8%	8.93%
1966	51%	31.6%	19.4%	75.9%	66.9%	9%
1967	51.6%	31.8%	19.8%	75.9%	66.8%	9.07%
1968	52%	31.8%	20.2%	75.8%	66.6%	9.14%
1969	52.4%	31.8%	20.5%	75.7%	66.5%	9.2%
1970	52.7%	31.8%	20.9%	75.5%	66.2%	9.26%
1971	53.2%	31.9%	21.3%	75.2%	65.9%	9.33%
1972	53.8%	32%	21.9%	74.9%	65.6%	9.39%
1973	54.5%	32.1%	22.4%	74.6%	65.1%	9.46%
1974	55.2%	32.1%	23%	74.4%	64.9%	9.54%
1975	55.8%	32.2%	23.5%	74.2%	64.6%	9.64%
1976	56.2%	32.2%	24%	74%	64.3%	9.72%
1977	56.5%	32.1%	24.4%	73.5%	63.7%	9.79%
1978	56.6%	31.7%	24.8%	72.4%	62.5%	9.84%
1979	56.4%	31.2%	25.2%	71.3%	61.4%	9.88%
1980	56%	30.6%	25.4%	70.4%	60.5%	9.89%
1981	55.5%	29.9%	25.6%	69.5%	59.6%	9.85%
1982	55.1%	29.3%	25.8%	68.7%	58.9%	9.79%
1983	54.8%	28.7%	26.1%	67.9%	58.1%	9.72%
1984	54.6%	28.3%	26.3%	67%	57.3%	9.68%
1985	54.8%	28.1%	26.7%	66.3%	56.6%	9.68%
1986	55.1%	27.9%	27.2%	65.7%	55.9%	9.71%
1987	55.2%	27.8%	27.4%	65.2%	55.4%	9.75%
1988	55.3%	27.7%	27.6%	64.8%	54.9%	9.81%
1989	55.3%	27.7%	27.6%	64.4%	54.5%	9.89%
1990	55.6%	27.9%	27.7%	64.2%	54.3%	9.97%
1991	55.9%	28.3%	27.7%	64%	53.9%	10.1%
1992	56.4%	28.7%	27.6%	63.7%	53.6%	10.2%
1993	56.7%	29.1%	27.6%	63.5%	53.2%	10.3%
1994	57%	29.5%	27.5%	63.1%	52.7%	10.4%
1995	57%	29.6%	27.4%	62.7%	52.2%	10.5%
1996	56.9%	29.5%	27.4%	62.1%	51.5%	10.6%
1997	56.7%	29.4%	27.3%	61.5%	50.8%	10.7%
1998	56.4%	29.2%	27.2%	60.7%	50%	10.7%
1999	56%	29%	27%	60%	49.2%	10.8%
2000	55.5%	28.7%	26.8%	59.3%	48.4%	10.9%
2001	55%	28.3%	26.7%	58.5%	47.6%	11%
2002	54.5%	28%	26.5%	57.8%	46.7%	11.1%
2003	54.1%	27.6%	26.4%	57%	45.9%	11.1%
2004	53.6%	27.2%	26.4%	56.3%	45.1%	11.2%
2005	53.1%	26.7%	26.5%	55.6%	44.3%	11.3%
2006	52.6%	26.1%	26.4%	55%	43.6%	11.4%
2007	52.3%	25.7%	26.6%	54.5%	43.1%	11.4%
2008	52.4%	25.5%	26.9%	54.1%	42.6%	11.5%
2009	52.8%	25.4%	27.4%	53.8%	42.2%	11.6%
2010	53.6%	25.5%	28.1%	53.5%	41.9%	11.6%
2011	54.6%	25.8%	28.8%	53.4%	41.6%	11.8%
2012	55.7%	26.1%	29.5%	53.3%	41.4%	11.9%
2013	56.8%	26.6%	30.2%	53.4%	41.2%	12.1%
2014	57.9%	27.1%	30.8%	53.5%	41.1%	12.4%
2015	58.8%	27.5%	31.3%	53.6%	40.9%	12.7%
2016	59.5%	28%	31.5%	53.7%	40.7%	13%
2017	59.9%	28.3%	31.7%	53.9%	40.6%	13.3%
2018	60.3%	28.5%	31.8%	54.1%	40.4%	13.7%
2019	60.6%	28.5%	32%	54.2%	40.1%	14%
2020	60.8%	28.5%	32.2%	54.2%	39.8%	14.4%
2021	60.9%	28.4%	32.5%	54.2%	39.5%	14.7%
2022	60.9%	28.1%	32.7%	54%	39%	15%
2023	60.7%	27.7%	33%	53.9%	38.5%	15.4%
2024	60.6%	27.3%	33.3%	53.7%	38%	15.7%

Age dependency is the ratio of people not in the labor force (children under 15 and adults 64+) to people aged 15 to 64. Age dependency in Sweden increased from 53.6% to 60.6% between 2004 and 2024 with a decreased share of children and an increased proportion of people aged 65+

Sweden working age demographic chart

Table

Year	Working age population share
	Sweden	World
1960	65.8%	57.6%
1961	66.1%	57.5%
1962	66.3%	57.4%
1963	66.5%	57.2%
1964	66.5%	57%
1965	66.4%	56.9%
1966	66.2%	56.8%
1967	66%	56.9%
1968	65.8%	56.9%
1969	65.6%	56.9%
1970	65.5%	57%
1971	65.3%	57.1%
1972	65%	57.2%
1973	64.7%	57.3%
1974	64.4%	57.3%
1975	64.2%	57.4%
1976	64%	57.5%
1977	63.9%	57.7%
1978	63.9%	58%
1979	64%	58.4%
1980	64.1%	58.7%
1981	64.3%	59%
1982	64.5%	59.3%
1983	64.6%	59.6%
1984	64.7%	59.9%
1985	64.6%	60.1%
1986	64.5%	60.4%
1987	64.4%	60.5%
1988	64.4%	60.7%
1989	64.4%	60.8%
1990	64.3%	60.9%
1991	64.1%	61%
1992	64%	61.1%
1993	63.8%	61.2%
1994	63.7%	61.3%
1995	63.7%	61.5%
1996	63.7%	61.7%
1997	63.8%	61.9%
1998	63.9%	62.2%
1999	64.1%	62.5%
2000	64.3%	62.8%
2001	64.5%	63.1%
2002	64.7%	63.4%
2003	64.9%	63.7%
2004	65.1%	64%
2005	65.3%	64.3%
2006	65.5%	64.5%
2007	65.7%	64.7%
2008	65.6%	64.9%
2009	65.4%	65%
2010	65.1%	65.1%
2011	64.7%	65.2%
2012	64.2%	65.2%
2013	63.8%	65.2%
2014	63.3%	65.2%
2015	63%	65.1%
2016	62.7%	65.1%
2017	62.5%	65%
2018	62.4%	64.9%
2019	62.3%	64.9%
2020	62.2%	64.8%
2021	62.2%	64.9%
2022	62.2%	64.9%
2023	62.2%	65%
2024	62.3%	65.1%
2025	62.4%	65.2%
2026	62.5%	65.3%
2027	62.6%	65.4%
2028	62.6%	65.4%
2029	62.6%	65.4%
2030	62.5%	65.4%
2031	62.5%	65.4%
2032	62.4%	65.4%
2033	62.4%	65.4%
2034	62.4%	65.3%
2035	62.5%	65.2%
2036	62.4%	65%
2037	62.4%	64.9%
2038	62.2%	64.7%
2039	62%	64.6%
2040	61.8%	64.5%
2041	61.7%	64.4%
2042	61.5%	64.3%
2043	61.4%	64.2%
2044	61.2%	64.1%
2045	61%	63.9%
2046	60.8%	63.8%
2047	60.6%	63.7%
2048	60.3%	63.6%
2049	60.1%	63.4%
2050	59.9%	63.3%

The share of working-age demographics aged 15-64 in Sweden changed from 65.1% to 62.3% between 2004 and 2024.

Share of young population (0-14 years)

Table

Year	Share of population 0-14 years old
	Sweden	World
1960	22.4%	37.4%
1961	22%	37.5%
1962	21.5%	37.6%
1963	21.2%	37.8%
1964	21%	38%
1965	20.9%	38%
1966	20.9%	38%
1967	21%	38%
1968	20.9%	37.9%
1969	20.9%	37.8%
1970	20.8%	37.7%
1971	20.8%	37.6%
1972	20.8%	37.5%
1973	20.7%	37.3%
1974	20.7%	37.2%
1975	20.7%	37.1%
1976	20.6%	36.9%
1977	20.5%	36.7%
1978	20.3%	36.3%
1979	19.9%	35.9%
1980	19.6%	35.5%
1981	19.2%	35.2%
1982	18.9%	34.9%
1983	18.6%	34.6%
1984	18.3%	34.3%
1985	18.2%	34%
1986	18%	33.8%
1987	17.9%	33.6%
1988	17.8%	33.4%
1989	17.8%	33.2%
1990	17.9%	33%
1991	18.1%	32.9%
1992	18.4%	32.7%
1993	18.6%	32.5%
1994	18.8%	32.3%
1995	18.9%	32.1%
1996	18.8%	31.8%
1997	18.7%	31.5%
1998	18.7%	31.1%
1999	18.6%	30.8%
2000	18.4%	30.4%
2001	18.3%	30%
2002	18.1%	29.6%
2003	17.9%	29.2%
2004	17.7%	28.8%
2005	17.4%	28.5%
2006	17.1%	28.1%
2007	16.9%	27.9%
2008	16.7%	27.6%
2009	16.6%	27.5%
2010	16.6%	27.3%
2011	16.7%	27.1%
2012	16.8%	27%
2013	17%	26.9%
2014	17.2%	26.8%
2015	17.3%	26.6%
2016	17.5%	26.5%
2017	17.7%	26.4%
2018	17.8%	26.2%
2019	17.8%	26%
2020	17.7%	25.8%
2021	17.7%	25.6%
2022	17.5%	25.3%
2023	17.2%	25%
2024	17%	24.7%
2025	16.7%	24.4%
2026	16.4%	24.1%
2027	16.2%	23.8%
2028	15.9%	23.4%
2029	15.6%	23.1%
2030	15.3%	22.8%
2031	15.1%	22.6%
2032	14.8%	22.3%
2033	14.5%	22.1%
2034	14.3%	21.9%
2035	14.1%	21.7%
2036	13.9%	21.6%
2037	13.8%	21.5%
2038	13.8%	21.4%
2039	13.8%	21.3%
2040	13.8%	21.2%
2041	13.8%	21.1%
2042	13.9%	21%
2043	13.9%	21%
2044	14%	20.9%
2045	14.1%	20.8%
2046	14.1%	20.7%
2047	14.2%	20.7%
2048	14.3%	20.6%
2049	14.4%	20.5%
2050	14.4%	20.4%

The share of children aged 0-14 in Sweden decreased from 17.7% to 17% between 2004 and 2024 due to changes in birth rates.

Share of old population (65+)

Table

Year	Share of population 65+ years old
	Sweden	World
1960	11.7%	4.97%
1961	11.9%	4.99%
1962	12.1%	5.01%
1963	12.3%	5.02%
1964	12.5%	5.04%
1965	12.7%	5.08%
1966	12.8%	5.12%
1967	13.1%	5.16%
1968	13.3%	5.2%
1969	13.5%	5.24%
1970	13.7%	5.28%
1971	13.9%	5.32%
1972	14.2%	5.37%
1973	14.5%	5.42%
1974	14.8%	5.47%
1975	15.1%	5.53%
1976	15.4%	5.59%
1977	15.6%	5.65%
1978	15.9%	5.71%
1979	16.1%	5.77%
1980	16.3%	5.81%
1981	16.5%	5.81%
1982	16.7%	5.8%
1983	16.8%	5.79%
1984	17%	5.8%
1985	17.2%	5.82%
1986	17.5%	5.86%
1987	17.7%	5.91%
1988	17.8%	5.95%
1989	17.8%	6.01%
1990	17.8%	6.07%
1991	17.7%	6.14%
1992	17.7%	6.21%
1993	17.6%	6.29%
1994	17.5%	6.37%
1995	17.5%	6.45%
1996	17.4%	6.53%
1997	17.4%	6.61%
1998	17.4%	6.68%
1999	17.3%	6.76%
2000	17.3%	6.84%
2001	17.2%	6.92%
2002	17.2%	7.01%
2003	17.2%	7.1%
2004	17.2%	7.18%
2005	17.3%	7.26%
2006	17.3%	7.34%
2007	17.4%	7.41%
2008	17.6%	7.47%
2009	17.9%	7.52%
2010	18.3%	7.58%
2011	18.6%	7.66%
2012	19%	7.78%
2013	19.3%	7.92%
2014	19.5%	8.08%
2015	19.7%	8.26%
2016	19.8%	8.45%
2017	19.8%	8.65%
2018	19.9%	8.88%
2019	20%	9.1%
2020	20.1%	9.33%
2021	20.2%	9.53%
2022	20.3%	9.74%
2023	20.5%	9.98%
2024	20.7%	10.2%
2025	20.9%	10.4%
2026	21.1%	10.6%
2027	21.3%	10.8%
2028	21.5%	11.1%
2029	21.8%	11.5%
2030	22.1%	11.7%
2031	22.5%	12%
2032	22.8%	12.3%
2033	23%	12.6%
2034	23.2%	12.8%
2035	23.4%	13.1%
2036	23.6%	13.4%
2037	23.8%	13.7%
2038	24%	13.9%
2039	24.2%	14.1%
2040	24.4%	14.3%
2041	24.5%	14.5%
2042	24.6%	14.7%
2043	24.7%	14.9%
2044	24.8%	15%
2045	25%	15.2%
2046	25.1%	15.4%
2047	25.2%	15.7%
2048	25.4%	15.9%
2049	25.5%	16.1%
2050	25.7%	16.3%

The share of older people aged 65 and over in Sweden increased from 17.2% to 20.7% between 2004 and 2024 due to changes in life expectancy.