The country's high living costs, a lack of affordable housing, and recent tech layoffs may be discouraging immigrants.
New Delhi: Sweden is witnessing an unprecedented exodus of Indian immigrants, reversing a decades-long trend that has seen more Indians arriving in the Scandinavian nation than departing. For the first time since records began, more Indians left Sweden in the first half of 2024 than those who moved in, signaling potential changes in the factors that have traditionally attracted Indians to Sweden.
Between January and June 2024, Sweden saw a dramatic increase in the number of Indian-born individuals leaving the country, with 2,837 departures -- a massive 171 per cent rise compared to the 1,046 departures in the same period last year.
This makes Indians the largest group of emigrants from Sweden, surpassing those from Iraq, China, and Syria, according to Statistics Sweden. The decline might be influenced by recent challenges, including tech sector lay-offs and stricter work permit regulations.
The Indian population in Sweden was 58,094 in 2023, according to Statistics Sweden. A total of 2,461 Indian-born individuals moved to Sweden between January and June 2024, down from 3,681 in the same period last year. Excluding the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, this represents the lowest level of Indian immigration since 2017.
While the reasons for this sudden shift are not entirely clear, several contributing factors could be at play. Sweden’s high living costs, a lack of affordable housing, and recent tech layoffs may be discouraging immigrants.
Moreover, the Swedish government's tighter work permit regulations have added to the challenges faced by foreign nationals. The number of work permits granted to highly skilled immigrants fell by 20 percent in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period last year, with first-time work permits to Indian citizens plummeting by 30 percent.
