Changing Patterns of Emigration among Persons with Refugee Background in Sweden, 2000–2024

Karin Lundström , Statistics Sweden
Dalia Hamdan, Statistics Sweden
Lena Lundkvist, Statistics Sweden

This study examines how emigration patterns among individuals with a refugee background in Sweden have evolved over the past 25 years. The analysis includes persons who were granted residence permits as refugees or as family members of refugees, as well as children born in Sweden to parents who immigrated for these reasons. Emigration is studied across five-year periods from 2000–2004 to 2020–2024 with a focus on over-time variations by gender, age, region of birth, educational attainment, and citizenship status, including years since acquiring Swedish citizenship. The data are derived from Statistics Sweden’s total population registers, which allow for comprehensive coverage of the target population. For the later periods, the data also include information on whether individuals held temporary or permanent residence permits. Notably, in 2015, Sweden introduced temporary residence permits as the default for individuals granted asylum, marking a significant shift in the legal framework that may influence emigration behavior. Preliminary results show that emigration was relatively low during 2015–2019, coinciding with the large influx of refugees around 2015. In contrast, emigration increased during the most recent period (2020–2024) to a higher level than previous periods. The increase in emigration is particularly pronounced among women aged 30–49, children under the age of 18 and individuals who have acquired Swedish citizenship less than ten years earlier. By providing a detailed demographic breakdown of emigration trends, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the mobility dynamics within refugee-background populations in Sweden.

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 Presented in Session P4. Migration, Migrants, and Mobility