Foreign control of enterprises increased in Sweden with 528 enterprises in 2019. After the increase there were 16,449 foreign controlled enterprises in Sweden. The number of employees in the foreign controlled enterprises increased with 28,507 persons, which was an increase with 4 percent compared to last year’s survey. This meant that there were 683,149 employees in foreign-owned companies in Sweden in 2019.

US ownership increased

US was the country that accounted for the largest increase of foreign controlled enterprises in Sweden between 2018 and 2019 with an increase of 280 enterprises. Norway is responsible for the largest increase over a longer period, since 2009 the number of companies owned from Norway has increased by 830. After the increase Norway is still the country that controls most enterprises in Sweden (2,941 companies) followed by the Great Britain (1,858 companies) and the US (1,816 companies).

The number of employees increases most in companies controlled from the US

Several countries increased their number of employees in Sweden in 2019. The largest increases occurred in companies controlled from the US, France and Norway. The increases amounted to 9,076, 6,766 and 4,737 employees. Over a longer period in 2009 to 2019, the largest increase in the number of employees has been in companies controlled from France and Germany with 27,273 and 25,202 employees.

Canada’s ownership decreased

The number of employees decreased most in companies controlled by Canada; the decrease was 3,490. Over a longer period, some owner countries have reduced the number of employees in Sweden. Between 2009 and 2019, the largest reductions in number of employees took place in companies controlled from Luxemburg (38,221 employees) and the Great Britain (29,817 employees).

Highest number of employees in German controlled enterprises

Germany is once again the ownership country with the highest number of employees, 80,483; followed by Norway and the US with 76,129 and 76,082 employees respectively. All three countries with the highest number of employees in Sweden in 2019 were also in top the last five years.

A few large enterprises provide most employment

Of the foreign companies in 2019, 46 per cent had no employees and 42 per cent of the companies had 1 to 49 employees in Sweden. These enterprises, however, accounted only for 12 per cent of employees in foreign controlled enterprises. Large enterprises with 250 or more employees accounted for 3 per cent of all foreign controlled enterprises, but their share of employment was 66 per cent of all employees in foreign controlled enterprises. The companies with 50 to 249 employees in Sweden accounted for 9 per cent of the foreign companies and its share of employment was 23 per cent.