What does immigration cost — and why?
We start with the big picture, then go to what actually drives the outcome: employment. From there we follow the money over time — second generation, lifetime costs, and how it ripples into the business climate and housing market.
Overview
Cost of immigration
The fiscal whole. NIER (Special Study 117, 2025) and ESO 2024 — the net result and the assumptions behind it.
Read moreWork decides
The single most important variable. The employment gap between native- and foreign-born explains almost the entire cost — not origin itself.
Read moreTax burden
41.4% of GDP in 2024 — eighth highest in the OECD, seven points above the average. What do we get for the money? Sources: OECD, Ekonomifakta.
Read moreEnergy & electricity
SE1–SE4, the north/south gap and the 2022 price peak. Closed reactors, EU gas, weather — many causes, no simple conclusion.
Read moreBy residence permit
Labour, family, refugee, student — four very different economic outcomes. Why averaged totals hide more than they show.
Read moreSecond generation
Does the outcome converge over generations? SCB data on education, employment and income for children of foreign-born.
Read moreLong-term welfare costs
Pensions, healthcare, elderly care over the life cycle. When costs arise and who bears them.
Read moreBusiness & talent flight
Outflow of highly educated and entrepreneurs. What Tillväxtanalys and Migration Agency emigration data show.
Read moreProperty prices
How population pressure and housing shortages translate into prices and rents — and where the effect is largest.
Read more