Indicator history

The Swedish housing market is very segregated in the three biggest cities. This segregation is mostly two-dimensional. Some areas are “Swedish-dense”. In those areas the Swedish ethnic majority is predominant. Other areas are “Swedish-sparse”. The typical 'ethnic' neighbourhoods in Sweden have no dominant group, but it can be added that the Roma community is the most segregated minority group in Sweden.

In 2010, Statistics Sweden published the report “Integration – a regional perspective”. The report showed that foreign-born people are more concentrated in metropolitan areas than native-born people. 90% of the total foreign-born population lives in big cities or major regional centres compared to 85% among native-born people (Statistics Sweden, Integration – a regional perspective (2010), http://www.scb.se/statistik/_publikationer/LE0105_2010A01_BR_BE57BR1001.pdf). 

In a report published from the National Board of Health and Welfare (2010) it is reported that visible minorities in Sweden, which are migrant groups originating in south Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, or Latin America , are increasingly vulnerable to ethnic segregated neighbourhoods and economic poverty. 70 per cent of visbile minorities living in ethnic segregated neigbourhoods did not have an income from work (Socialstyrelsen, Social Rapport 2010, p.12 http://www.socialstyrelsen.se/Lists/Artikelkatalog/Attachments/17957/2010-3-11.pdf). 

In its third report, ECRI encourages the Swedish authorities in their efforts to address de facto residential segregation. In this respect, ECRI recommends that, along with measures to improve the living conditions of persons living in areas predominantly inhabited by persons of immigrant origin, the Swedish authorities consider measures to actually de-segregate these areas.

Source:

Statistics Sweden, Integration – a regional perspective (2010), http://www.scb.se/statistik/_publikationer/LE0105_2010A01_BR_BE57BR1001.pdf. 

Socialstyrelsen, Social Rapport 2010, p.12 http://www.socialstyrelsen.se/Lists/Artikelkatalog/Attachments/17957/2010-3-11.pdf.

Council of Europe: European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI),Third Report on Sweden, Adopted on 17 December 2004, 14 June 2005, CRI(2005)26, available at: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/46efa2e21a.html[accessed 6 March 2012]