Where People Are Moving To In Sweden In 2026
Sweden's population barely grew in 2025, but people continued moving within the country in large numbers. Statistics Sweden (SCB) recorded an increase of only 17,800 residents nationwide, the smallest annual gain of the 21st century, while 180 of the country's 290 municipalities lost population. Domestic migration nevertheless favored several distinct growth corridors. Skåne County gained a net 2,500 residents from elsewhere in Sweden, while Uppsala County gained 1,200, including a net 642-person shift from Stockholm County. Against that backdrop, municipalities between Stockholm and Uppsala, expanding suburbs of the capital, southern growth centers, and the industrial city of Boden stand out as places where migration is still adding residents.
Knivsta
Knivsta was Sweden's fastest-growing municipality in percentage terms in 2025. Its population increased by 540 people, from 21,193 to 21,733, a 2.5% increase, according to SCB. Migration played a substantial role. The municipality recorded a domestic migration surplus of roughly 400 people during the year.
The location helps explain the movement. Knivsta sits in the Stockholm-Uppsala growth corridor, and Uppsala County gained a net 1,200 residents through domestic migration in 2025. The largest single county-to-county contribution was a net 642-person movement from Stockholm County. Knivsta is preparing for further growth through an agreement connected to the expansion of the railway between Stockholm and Uppsala. The municipality has committed to enabling 15,000 new homes by 2057, while infrastructure plans include two additional rail tracks and a new station at Alsike. Growth is already changing the demographic profile. About 30% of Knivsta residents are younger than 20, compared with 23% nationally.
Boden
Boden provides a very different migration story. The northern municipality reached 28,624 residents in 2025, growing by approximately 2.0%, the second-highest percentage increase in Sweden. The turnaround was closely connected to migration. Some 2,067 people moved into Boden during 2025, compared with 1,516 in 2024, while arrivals from outside Norrbotten County increased by 42%.
Industrial expansion is a major reason. Stegra is developing its large-scale green-steel operation in Boden, and by December 2025, the municipality reported that more than 600 new residents were connected with the company's establishment. The Swedish Armed Forces are also expanding locally. Housing supply is now struggling to keep pace. By May 2026, municipal officials described rental vacancies as close to zero and warned that the shortage could restrict further growth. The Stegra development therefore provides both an employment anchor and a visible example of how quickly migration is changing the local housing market.
Burlöv
Burlöv added 343 residents in 2025, reaching a population of 20,444. Its 1.7% increase ranked third among Sweden's 290 municipalities, behind only Knivsta and Boden. Both a positive birth balance and migration contributed, with more people moving into Burlöv than leaving during the year.
The municipality sits between Malmö and Lund in Skåne County, which recorded Sweden's largest domestic migration surplus in 2025 at 2,500 people. Stockholm County alone contributed a net 457 residents to Skåne. In Burlöv, new construction is expanding the amount of housing available along this heavily connected corridor. Kronetorpstaden, between Arlöv and Åkarp, is planned for approximately 5,000 homes and 10,500 residents over its long-term development. Another plan beside Burlöv Station and Burlöv Center would add approximately 600 to 700 homes. Both projects emphasize access to public transportation, allowing residents to live in Burlöv while remaining connected to the larger Malmö-Lund labor market.
Järfälla
Järfälla continued its long expansion on Stockholm's northwestern edge in 2025. Its population reached approximately 90,180, an increase of around 1,230 residents, or 1.4%, from the previous year. Domestic migration was an important part of that increase, with the municipality posting a positive internal migration balance of roughly 740 people.
Much of the physical growth is visible in Barkarbystaden, the large new district being developed around Barkarby. Housing construction continues alongside the extension of Stockholm's metro system, which will connect Barkarby more directly with the rest of the capital region. One project that broke ground in December 2025 alone will add 377 homes, including apartments and townhouses, opposite the future metro station, along with commercial space. Järfälla's population has grown from roughly 81,300 in 2020 to more than 90,000, so the latest migration gain continues a longer suburban growth pattern rather than representing a single-year surge.
Nacka
Nacka recorded one of the largest increases among Stockholm's suburban municipalities in 2025. Its population rose by 1,619 people to 113,730, an annual increase of about 1.4%. Domestic movement was an important component, with roughly 1,200 more people moving into Nacka from elsewhere in Sweden than moving from Nacka to another Swedish municipality.
Housing and transportation investment are reshaping the municipality east of central Stockholm. Nacka's 2025 annual report anticipates construction averaging approximately 700 homes per year through 2040, when the population is projected to reach about 130,500. The extension of Stockholm's Blue Line metro toward Nacka is being built alongside that expansion. Growth is already spread across several parts of the municipality. Sicklaön increased from 43,170 residents in 2024 to 43,812 in 2025, while Boo rose from 36,771 to 37,240. The result is not simply more commuters arriving from elsewhere, but continued construction of denser neighborhoods connected to Stockholm's transportation network.
Upplands-Bro
Upplands-Bro reached approximately 33,333 residents at the end of 2025, adding about 465 people during the year, or 1.4%. Domestic migration remained positive, with roughly 225 more people arriving from elsewhere in Sweden than departing for another Swedish municipality.
The municipality lies northwest of Stockholm, with Kungsängen and Bro providing the main population centers and commuter-rail connections toward the capital. The migration gain follows a longer period of expansion. Upplands-Bro added 415 residents in 2024, when 3,298 people moved into the municipality and 3,032 moved out, producing a positive migration balance of 266. Continued residential development has accompanied that population increase, while the rail connection keeps central Stockholm within commuting range. The municipality therefore illustrates a broader pattern around the capital. Growth is not limited to immediately adjacent suburbs, but extends outward along established rail corridors where additional housing can accommodate households moving within the metropolitan region.
Håbo
Håbo's population reached approximately 23,252 in 2025, increasing by about 280 people, or 1.2%, after little change the previous year. Domestic migration accounts for most of the new momentum. The municipality posted a positive internal migration balance of roughly 265 residents during 2025.
Håbo belongs to Uppsala County but sits on the western edge of the Stockholm commuter region. Its largest community, Bålsta, has rail connections toward Stockholm, making the municipality part of the same broader redistribution visible in Knivsta. That pattern was particularly strong in 2025, when Uppsala County gained a net 1,200 residents from other parts of Sweden and received a net 642 from Stockholm County alone. Local infrastructure is adjusting as Håbo grows. In August 2025, Bålsta introduced a redesigned bus network with three new routes, including service to residential areas that previously lacked buses. Håbo's growth thus demonstrates how domestic migration is extending beyond Stockholm County itself into neighboring municipalities with direct transportation links to the capital.
Sweden's Growth Is Becoming More Concentrated
Sweden's 2025 numbers point toward increasingly concentrated population growth. While 180 municipalities lost residents, domestic migration continued to favor Skåne, Uppsala County, and selected municipalities around Stockholm, while Boden grew for a different reason, large-scale industrial investment. SCB's early 2026 figures provide another reason to watch whether these patterns continue as national population growth remains subdued. For municipalities receiving new residents, the immediate consequences are increasingly practical ones, with more demand for housing, schools, transportation, and local services in places where infrastructure must now keep pace with migration.
