Market Research Companies in Sweden

Key figures for researchers

Population

10.6 million (31 December 2025)¹

Regions and largest cities

21 counties, 290 municipalities; Stockholm 999,239, Gothenburg 613,278, Malmö 367,924 people (2025)²

Aged 65 and over

21.1% of the population (2025)¹

Households

5.0 million, 2.11 people on average (end of 2025)¹

Foreign-born

2.21 million, 20.8% of the population (2025)¹

Foreign language skills

95.8% of adults aged 25–64 know at least one foreign language (2022)⁴

Internet use

97% of Swedes use the internet, 93% every day (2025 survey)⁵

Mobile BankID

used by 95% of Swedes (2025 survey)⁵

Mobile subscriptions

141 per 100 people (2024)⁶

GDP per capita

about US$63,100 (2025)⁷

Research guide

Research landscape

Sweden is a small but advanced research market: high connectivity and a strong tradition of official statistics make online and register-based surveys common. Full-service agencies work alongside specialist qualitative, B2B and healthcare firms, online panel providers and field suppliers, and Stockholm is the main business centre, followed by Gothenburg and Malmö.

A common quality reference is the ICC/ESOMAR International Code, revised in 2025 (fifth edition) and endorsed by over 60 associations in more than 50 countries. Its principles include honesty and transparency, care for participants, and clear information on how personal data will be used and protected.

Languages and fieldwork

Swedish is the default fieldwork language for consumer studies, and questionnaires should be translated and checked by native speakers. Foreign language skills are very high: in 2022, 95.8% of adults aged 25 to 64 knew at least one foreign language and 51.0% said they were proficient in their best one, so English-language interviews can be considered for B2B and professional targets.

In 2025, 2.21 million people (20.8% of the population) were born abroad, and 28% were born abroad or had two foreign-born parents: studies of migrant audiences may need translated questionnaires or bilingual interviewers. A national sample covers 21 counties and 290 municipalities; in 2025 the population fell in 180 municipalities, so regional quotas and weighting matter.

Which methods work

Connectivity is very high: in a 2025 survey, 97% of Swedes used the internet, 93% every day, and 95% used mobile BankID, the electronic identification used to log in to many services. There are 141 mobile subscriptions per 100 people. Online surveys using access panels are widely used for consumer research, and mobile-friendly questionnaires are essential.

Everyone registered in the population register receives a personal identity number (personnummer), and the state personal address register (SPAR) includes all persons registered as resident, updated daily. Official surveys draw probability samples from the population register: in 2026, a Statistics Sweden survey sampled from the Register of the Total Population and collected 64% of answers on the web, 21% on paper and 15% by telephone, with a 57% response rate. Older people remain less covered online: 19% of those aged 76 and over do not use the internet, so telephone or paper may be needed for them.

Timing

Public holidays include New Year’s Day, Epiphany (6 January), Good Friday, Easter Monday, 1 May, Ascension Day, National Day (6 June), Midsummer Day (the Saturday between 20 and 26 June), All Saints’ Day (the Saturday between 31 October and 6 November), Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Plan around the Midsummer weekend and the Christmas period: in Gothenburg, for example, the autumn term ends on 18 December 2026, and in Täby (Stockholm County) the spring term starts on 11 January 2027.

Summer is the main period to avoid for B2B and family targets: employees are entitled to 25 days of annual leave and, unless otherwise agreed, at least four consecutive weeks between June and August. Sportlov, the one-week winter school break, is set by each municipality: in 2027 it falls in week 7 in Gothenburg (15–19 February), week 8 in Uppsala (22–26 February) and week 9 in Täby (1–5 March). Check the dates of the municipalities in your sample.

Data protection

Personal data is governed by the GDPR and the Swedish Act with supplementary provisions to the EU General Data Protection Regulation (2018:218), in force since 25 May 2018. Among other things, it allows children to consent to online services from the age of 13, and personal identity numbers may be processed without consent only when this is clearly justified.

The supervisory authority is the Swedish Authority for Privacy Protection (IMY), called the Swedish Data Inspection Board (Datainspektionen) until 1 January 2021. It also supervises the Camera Surveillance Act. Ask your agency which lawful basis it uses, whether personal identity numbers are collected and why, how respondents are informed and where the data is hosted.

Working with a local agency

• Share a clear brief: objectives, target, sample size, counties and municipalities, method, languages and deadline.
• Ask whether the agency follows the ICC/ESOMAR International Code, and whether the sample comes from an online panel or from a population register.
• Ask how older and foreign-born respondents will be reached, and how quotas and weighting are set.
• Check fieldwork dates against Midsummer, the summer leave period and the sportlov weeks of the municipalities in your sample.
• Agree in writing who is controller and who is processor of the personal data, and the retention period.
• Compare several proposals: you can send one request to up to 5 companies from this page.