Sweden Retail Sales Growth Accelerates

Retail sales in Sweden increased by 4.1% year-on-year in January 2026, following an upwardly revised 2.3% rise in December. Sales of durable goods climbed 7.6%, after a 4.7% gain in the prior month, while sales of consumables (excluding Systembolaget) rose 0.2%, rebounding from a 0.4% decline. On a monthly basis, retail sales edged up 0.1%, following a downwardly revised 0.6% drop in December. Over the November-January period, sales went up 1.0% compared with the previous three-month period (August-October).

Retail sales in Sweden rose by 1.5% year-on-year in December 2025, easing from an upwardly revised and over four-year high of 6.9% in the previous month. This marked the weakest growth since a drop in May, as sales slowed sharply for non-durable goods (3.1% vs 10.8% in November). At the same time, grocery trade excluding Systembolaget declined (-0.2% vs 2.1%). On a monthly basis, retail activity fell by 0.7% in December, reversing a five-month high increase of 1.1% in the previous month. Over the October to December period, trade was 1.0% higher compared to the preceding three-month period of July to September.

Retail sales in Sweden rose by 5.6% year-on-year in November 2025, accelerating from an upwardly revised 3.5% increase in the previous month. This marked the strongest annual increase since November 2021, driven by a faster rise in both non-durable goods (8.6% vs 6.0% in October) and grocery trade excluding Systembolaget (2.0% vs 0.3%). On a monthly basis, retail sales grew by 1.1% in November, rebounding from a downwardly revised 0.2% decline in the preceding month. Over the September-November period, sales were up 1.4% compared to the previous three months (June-August).