Malmo's 2026 population is now estimated at 342,887. In 1950, the population of Malmo was 191,149. Malmo has grown by 3,071 in the last year, which represents a 0.9% annual change. These population estimates and projections come from the latest revision of the UN World Urbanization Prospects . These estimates represent the Urban agglomeration of Malmo, which typically includes Malmo's population in addition to adjacent suburban areas.
Malmo is a city that is located in Sweden. It is the capital of Skane County and is also the county’s most populous city. It is the third most populous city in the country, and it is the sixth most populous in Scandinavia. The city has a population of 341,457 inhabitants. The largest metro area has more than double this population, with over 700,000 residents.
The city of Malmo stretches across 155.4 square kilometers (60 square miles), while the urban area is just 75 square kilometers (29 square miles) and has a population of over 5,000 inhabitants per square mile.
Malmo has a very young population, with 48% of the population under the age of 35.
Over 135,000 residents have a foreign background. Nearly 100,000 were born overseas. Fourteen percent of the population are foreign nationals. The city has the fourth-highest proportion of foreign residents in the country. The largest group of immigrants came to Malmo from Iraq. There are also large populations of people originally from Serbia, Denmark, Poland, Iran and Hungary. People from over 170 different countries now call Malmo home.
There are also about 150 languages spoken throughout the city.
The area that Malmo now occupies was once a Viking settlement, between the years of 1000 and 1300. Some of the older names used for the area include Malmøi, Malmøghe, or Malmhaugar. Salt and herring were the major products in commerce at the time. In 1437, Malmö was awarded its city arms by Erik av Pommern. Skåne and Malmö belonged to Denmark until 1658 when the region became Swedish.
In 1712 many citizens died of the plague. In 1775 the harbour was rebuilt by Frans Suell Jr to help improve the level of commerce in the area. And the building continued over time as well - Malmö University opened its gates in 1998 and the bridge over Öresund opened in the year 2000.
Overall, the city has seen consistent growth throughout the years over the long and colorful history here, although the population did decline during the period between 1970 and 1980. However, it rebounded again with 11% growth between 1990 and 2000, followed by 15.2% growth between 2000 and 2010.
| City | 2026 Pop. ↓ | Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Stockholm | 1,754,720 | 0.98% |
| Gothenburg | 649,847 | 0.91% |
