Sweden’s business confidence indicator was broadly unchanged at 103.3 in May 2026 from 103.5 in April, remaining above the 100 mark and continuing to signal stronger-than-normal business sentiment. Demand conditions remained weak, with the indicator slipping to -24 from -23, staying below historical norms. Employment trends were largely stable, as firms reported only a slight decline in staffing over the past three months (-1 vs -2), while hiring expectations for the next three months eased to 1 from 3, pointing to a broadly unchanged workforce outlook. Construction was the only sector expecting employment growth ahead. Meanwhile, pricing intentions strengthened notably, with expected sales prices over the next three months rising sharply to 23 from 16, the highest among the surveyed indicators. The increase was particularly evident in the grocery trade, partly reflecting adjustments following the VAT reduction on food introduced in April. source: National Institute of Economic Research, Sweden

Business Confidence in Sweden decreased to 103.30 points in May from 103.50 points in April of 2026. Business Confidence in Sweden averaged 100.00 points from 1996 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 121.40 points in October of 2021 and a record low of 57.30 points in April of 2020. This page provides the latest reported value for - Sweden Business Confidence - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. Sweden Business Confidence - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on May of 2026.

Business Confidence in Sweden decreased to 103.30 points in May from 103.50 points in April of 2026. Business Confidence in Sweden is expected to be 102.00 points by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the Sweden Business Confidence is projected to trend around 104.00 points in 2027 and 101.00 points in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-04-29 07:00 AM
Business Confidence
Apr 103.3 102.2 101
2026-05-28 07:00 AM
Business Confidence
May 103.3 103.5 102
2026-06-26 07:00 AM
Business Confidence
Jun 103.3 102


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Bankruptcies 874.00 1023.00 Companies Apr 2026
Business Confidence 103.30 103.50 points May 2026
Industrial Inventories 11670.44 -5015.86 SEK Million Mar 2026
Car Registrations 24147.00 26578.00 Units Apr 2026
Changes in Inventories 31592.00 -32098.00 SEK Million Mar 2026
Corruption Index 80.00 80.00 Points Dec 2025
Corruption Rank 6.00 8.00 Dec 2025
Electricity Production 15523.74 16294.80 Gigawatt-hour Mar 2026
Industrial Production YoY 3.00 6.20 percent Mar 2026
Industrial Production MoM -2.00 3.80 percent Mar 2026
Manufacturing Production 3.50 6.40 percent Mar 2026
Mining Production -6.80 6.10 percent Mar 2026
Natural Gas Stocks Capacity 0.08 0.08 TWh May 2026
Natural Gas Stocks Injection 0.00 0.00 GWh/d May 2026
Natural Gas Stocks Inventory 0.01 0.01 TWh May 2026
Natural Gas Stocks Withdrawal 0.00 0.00 GWh/d May 2026
New Orders YoY 111.60 95.60 points Mar 2026


Sweden Business Confidence
In Sweden, the confidence indicator for the business sector is intended to provide a quick qualitative indication of actual outcomes, current situation and future expectations of Swedish companies. The variables in the survey include new orders, output, and employment. The survey covers 6,000 firms in the business sector.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
103.30 103.50 121.40 57.30 1996 - 2026 points Monthly

News Stream
Sweden Business Confidence Holds Firm in May
Sweden’s business confidence indicator was broadly unchanged at 103.3 in May 2026 from 103.5 in April, remaining above the 100 mark and continuing to signal stronger-than-normal business sentiment. Demand conditions remained weak, with the indicator slipping to -24 from -23, staying below historical norms. Employment trends were largely stable, as firms reported only a slight decline in staffing over the past three months (-1 vs -2), while hiring expectations for the next three months eased to 1 from 3, pointing to a broadly unchanged workforce outlook. Construction was the only sector expecting employment growth ahead. Meanwhile, pricing intentions strengthened notably, with expected sales prices over the next three months rising sharply to 23 from 16, the highest among the surveyed indicators. The increase was particularly evident in the grocery trade, partly reflecting adjustments following the VAT reduction on food introduced in April.
2026-05-28
Sweden Business Mood Improves in April
Sweden’s business confidence barometer rose to 103.3 in April 2026 from a downwardly revised 102.2 in the previous month, remaining above the 100 level and signaling stronger-than-normal sentiment. Firms’ view of demand was unchanged from March but remained weaker than normal (-23 vs -24 in March). Employment conditions were mixed, with companies reporting a slight decline in staffing over the past three months (-2 vs -6), though trade remained an exception with job growth, while hiring plans (3 vs 4) pointed to broadly normal recruitment. Labor shortages (at 20) persisted, especially in manufacturing. Firms also reported sales prices (16 vs 14) rose at a normal pace, while price plans (2.6 vs 1.7) signaled stronger increases ahead, particularly in manufacturing and trade. Despite stronger confidence and resilient pricing power, profitability (-10 vs -12) was still seen as weaker than normal, indicating businesses remained cautious even as sentiment stayed in expansionary territory.
2026-04-29
Sweden Business Confidence Hits 6-Month Low
Sweden’s business confidence barometer fell to 102.3 in March 2026 from a downwardly revised 104 in the previous month. This marked the lowest reading since September last year, though still pointing to a broadly neutral business climate. Firms’ assessment of demand (-24 vs -25 in February) remained steady but slightly weaker than normal overall, with trade standing out as more stable. Employment (-7 vs -6) declined across all sectors, although hiring plans (4 vs 5) suggest a modest pickup in staffing over the next three months. Price expectations (13 vs 12) remained broadly in line with normal levels, but the trade sector showed softer pricing power, led by grocery retailers where price cuts are expected, partly reflecting the upcoming VAT reduction on food. Meanwhile, investment plans were mixed, with manufacturing seen holding steady this year while services showed a more optimistic outlook.
2026-03-25