Stockholm's 2026 population is now estimated at 1,754,720. In 1950, the population of Stockholm was 741,082. Stockholm has grown by 16,960 in the last year, which represents a 0.98% 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 Stockholm, which typically includes Stockholm's population in addition to adjacent suburban areas.
Stockholm is the capital and most populous city of Sweden and the most populous city of Scandinavia. With a history going back to the 13th century, Stockholm has long been the cultural, economic, and political center of the region. Stockholm is located across 14 islands on the coast southeast of Sweden at the mouth of Lake Malaren. As of 2018, Stockholm has an estimated population of 935,000.
The population of Stockholm is estimated at 910,000 in 2016 with a population density of 4,800 people per square kilometer, or 13,000 per square mile. The Stockholm metropolitan area has 26 municipalities with a population of more than 2.2 million, while the Stockholm urban area has an estimated population of 1.4 million. The following are major municipalities in Metropolitan Stockholm:
Stockholm accounts for 22% of Sweden’s total population. The region considered Stockholm has changed over time. At the end of the 1800s, Stockholm was only what is today the City Centre, about 14 square miles of land and one-fifth of the current area. Now, the city proper encompasses 188 km² (73 sq mi) while the metro area sprawls outward to 6,519 km² (2,517 sq mi).
About 27% of Stockholmers are immigrants or of non-Swedish background. About 15% of the city is foreign-born, which is the highest of any Nordic city. Many immigrants are concentrated in the city’s suburbs, with a wide variety of languages spoken in Greater Stockholm, including: Swedish, Finnish, English, Bosnian, Arabic, Syriac, Kurdish, Persian, Dutch, Turkish, Spanish, Croation and Serbian. The largest foreign-born groups are Finns (18,000), Iraqis (16,400), Iranian (11,600).
Over the last few years, there have been clashes between native-born residents and newly arrived immigrants. In 2013, the city was in flames after hundreds of immigrant youths rioted for four nights. The unrest and rioting has been especially high in immigrant neighborhoods like the Husby suburb, and many say Sweden is failing to effectively integrate its huge and growing immigrant population.
The average age of a Stockholm resident is 38.8 years old, with just over 40% of the population between the age of 20 and 44.
Its estimated that Stockholm will hit a population of 3 million by 2045, largely due to migrants from Afghanistan and Syria. If a study conducted by Stockholm Regional Growth, Environment and Planning is right, the growth means Stockholm will need an additional 2,000 preschools within a decade, as well as more housing.
The Stockholm municipality itself should grow to one million by 2019, six years earlier than a study from 2011 had predicted. This growth is attributed to immigration exclusively.
| City | 2026 Pop. ↓ | Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Gothenburg | 649,847 | 0.91% |
| Malmo | 342,887 | 0.9% |
