Sweden
- Share 2025
- 27.7 %
- Δ 2015→2025
- +5.5 pp
- Immigration page
In depth · Skellefteå
Immigration and foreign background in Skellefteå
Key facts
Skellefteå ranks 208 of 290 municipalities for Share of residents with a foreign background (2025).
Source: SCB BE0101Q2 · 2025
Skellefteå ranks 5 of 15 in Västerbottens län for Share of residents with a foreign background (2025).
Source: SCB BE0101Q2 · 2025
Latest statistics: 2024–2025 depending on indicator
Skellefteå: 11,279 residents (15.0%) had a foreign background in 2025, out of 75,405 residents. Source: Statistics Sweden. Sweden, foreign background: 27.7%; difference −12.7 percentage points (2025). 9,675 residents were born abroad (12.8%, 2025).
Foreign background means born abroad or born in Sweden to two foreign-born parents. These are population stocks, not annual immigration flows.
Last updated: View changelog
Skellefteå in brief
- Share with foreign background, 2025
- 15.0 %
- Change 2002–2025
- +10.5 pp
- Absolute change in percentage points.
- Sweden, 2025
- 27.7 %
- Difference: −12.7 pp.
- Rank (highest share = 1)
- 208 of 290
- Same definition and year (2025) for all ranked municipalities.
Source: Statistics Sweden (SCB), BE0101Q2 — observed population composition (stock). People received further down are a flow and measure something else. Stock vs flow
Trend 2002–2025
Share of the population in Skellefteå with a foreign background. Source: Statistics Sweden (SCB), BE0101Q2. The 2025 observation uses the CKM disclosure-control method.
Foreign background — 2002: 4.4 %; 2003: 4.7 %; 2004: 5.0 %; 2005: 5.2 %; 2006: 5.6 %; 2007: 6.0 %; 2008: 6.2 %; 2009: 6.4 %; 2010: 6.6 %; 2011: 6.8 %; 2012: 7.2 %; 2013: 7.7 %; 2014: 8.2 %; 2015: 8.6 %; 2016: 9.2 %; 2017: 9.8 %; 2018: 10.0 %; 2019: 10.3 %; 2020: 10.5 %; 2021: 11.3 %; 2022: 12.5 %; 2023: 15.1 %; 2024: 17.4 %; 2025: 15.0 %
How to verify this figure
- Source
- Statistics Sweden (SCB)
- Period
- 2025
- Definition
- Share of the population with a foreign background (born abroad, or born in Sweden with two foreign-born parents).
- Geography
- Skellefteå
- Unit
- %
- Retrieved/verified
- 2026-10-11
- Open the original source and find the same table or report.
- Select the same period, geography and unit as above.
- Compare the definition — for own calculations, recompute with the formula.
Country/region of birth (2024)
Residents by region of birth, 2024. This block uses 2024 data and may differ in year from the introduction above. Foreign-born are persons born outside Sweden. Source: Statistics Sweden (SCB), FolkmRegFlandK.
Country of birth
2024
Foreign-born residents
11,992 people
15.3% of the population · 2024
Foreign-born = born outside Sweden (narrower than "foreign background").
Born in Sweden84.7 %(66,158)
Nordics excluding Sweden1.0 %(785)
Other Europe4.0 %(3,133)
Outside Europe10.3 %(8,074)
Thin line = national average. Source: Statistics Sweden (SCB), FolkmRegFlandK.
People received, vulnerable areas & marginal cost
Received 2020–2024 (a flow), the Police's vulnerable areas and a own illustrative scenario.
Reception & illustrative scenario
2020–2024
- Foreign-born (20–64)
- 21.8 %
- Received, 5 years
- 614
- 7.9 / 1000 (national 7.0)
- Vulnerable areas
- —
- Swedish Police 2025
- Scenario / resident / yrAnalysis/model
- −116 kr
- Range −83 kr → −148 kr
- Model: Ruist (ESO 2018:3; calculations based on 2015 public finances), unadjusted amount from the report (low/mid/high)
Analysis/model Own illustrative scenario: mean annual reception 2020–2024 × Ruist’s national refugee life-cycle estimate using 2015 public finances, divided by 2024 population; no price adjustment. Assumes the national estimate applies locally. Not an observed municipal cost; not everyone with a foreign background. Formula, assumptions and limitations
No vulnerable areas in this municipality according to the Swedish Police situational report 2025.
Compare Skellefteå with other municipalities →Compare Skellefteå with other municipalities
Skellefteå is preselected. Add up to 5 other municipalities — or use the shortcuts for the top/bottom 5.
- Skellefteå15.0 %
Skellefteå — 2002: 4.4 %; 2003: 4.7 %; 2004: 5.0 %; 2005: 5.2 %; 2006: 5.6 %; 2007: 6.0 %; 2008: 6.2 %; 2009: 6.4 %; 2010: 6.6 %; 2011: 6.8 %; 2012: 7.2 %; 2013: 7.7 %; 2014: 8.2 %; 2015: 8.6 %; 2016: 9.2 %; 2017: 9.8 %; 2018: 10.0 %; 2019: 10.3 %; 2020: 10.5 %; 2021: 11.3 %; 2022: 12.5 %; 2023: 15.1 %; 2024: 17.4 %; 2025: 15.0 %
Max 6 municipalities. Source: SCB BE0101Q2 (UtlSvBakgGrov). · Skellefteå
Skellefteå vs nearby municipalities
Nearest municipalities (distance between municipal centre points) and municipalities in the same county with a similar share, plus county and national averages. Not all share a border with the municipality.
Västerbottens län
- Share 2025
- 15.4 %
- Δ 2015→2025
- +4.7 pp
- Immigration page
Malå
- Share 2025
- 15.1 %
- Δ 2015→2025
- +6.7 pp
- Immigration page
- Immigration in Malå
Skellefteå
- Share 2025
- 15.0 %
- Δ 2015→2025
- +6.4 pp
- Immigration page
Lycksele
- Share 2025
- 14.8 %
- Δ 2015→2025
- +4.6 pp
- Immigration page
- Immigration in Lycksele
Norsjö
- Share 2025
- 13.2 %
- Δ 2015→2025
- +3.1 pp
- Immigration page
- Immigration in Norsjö
Vindeln
- Share 2025
- 12.9 %
- Δ 2015→2025
- +3.6 pp
- Immigration page
- Immigration in Vindeln
Robertsfors
- Share 2025
- 12.1 %
- Δ 2015→2025
- +2.8 pp
- Immigration page
- Immigration in Robertsfors
| Municipality | Share 2025 | Δ 2015→2025 | Immigration page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 27.7 % | +5.5 pp | |
| Västerbottens län | 15.4 % | +4.7 pp | |
| Malå | 15.1 % | +6.7 pp | Immigration in Malå |
| Skellefteå | 15.0 % | +6.4 pp | |
| Lycksele | 14.8 % | +4.6 pp | Immigration in Lycksele |
| Norsjö | 13.2 % | +3.1 pp | Immigration in Norsjö |
| Vindeln | 12.9 % | +3.6 pp | Immigration in Vindeln |
| Robertsfors | 12.1 % | +2.8 pp | Immigration in Robertsfors |
Foreign background, all ages/sexes. County and national shares: own ratios of SCB published geographic counts; change 2015–2025 in percentage points. CKM method break 2025; subgroup cells may not sum to the published total. SCB
Municipal election 2026
Final · Source: Valmyndigheten- Turnout
- 83.48 %
- Seats
- 65
- Valid votes
- 49,007
- Blank votes
- 801
| Party | Share | vs 2022 | Votes | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40.58 % | – | 19,888 | 27 | |
| 19.02 % | – | 9,323 | 13 | |
| 9.89 % | – | 4,845 | 7 | |
| 8.34 % | – | 4,087 | 5 | |
| 8.01 % | – | 3,927 | 5 | |
| 6.98 % | – | 3,423 | 5 | |
| 4.82 % | – | 2,364 | 3 | |
| Other parties (11) | 2.35 % | – | 1,150 | – |
Latest actual election: 13 September 2026 (final count). Turnout figures in Kolada series elsewhere on this page refer to an earlier election and are labelled with their series year.
Full municipal election result →Results by voting district →
Earlier election results in Skellefteå (2014–2022)
Everything about Skellefteå
Schools, crime, economy, tax rate and elections are on the municipality's main page.
Open Skellefteå municipality in figures →Frequently asked questions
›What share of the population in Skellefteå has a foreign background?
In 2025, 15.0 % of the population in Skellefteå had a foreign background according to Statistics Sweden (BE0101Q2) — 12.7 percentage points below the national average (27.7 %). "Foreign background" is the broader Statistics Sweden definition and includes both people born abroad and people born in Sweden to two foreign-born parents. The share is a stock measure and does not show annual immigration (inflow).
›How many residents of Skellefteå have a foreign background?
11,279 residents of Skellefteå had a foreign background (2025). Source: Statistics Sweden, UtlSvBakgGrovCKM, published count. CKM-protected component cells need not sum exactly to the published total.
›How has the share with a foreign background in Skellefteå changed since 2002?
The share has risen from 4.4 % (2002) to 15.0 % (2025), a change of +10.5 percentage points. Source: Statistics Sweden (SCB), BE0101Q2.
›What is the difference between "foreign background" and "born abroad"?
Born abroad = a person born outside Sweden. Foreign background = born abroad, or born in Sweden to two foreign-born parents. Both measures are official; foreign background is at least as large for the same population and year.
›Where were the foreign-born residents of Skellefteå born?
See the "Country/region of birth" section on this page. Foreign-born residents are people born outside Sweden, reported in three aggregated groups: the Nordic countries excluding Sweden, the rest of Europe, and outside Europe. Source: Statistics Sweden (SCB), FolkmRegFlandK.
Sources and method
BE0101Q2Foreign/Swedish background — share by municipality (UtlSvBakgGrov)Reference period: 2002–2025 · Retrieved: 2026-10-11
Open source ↗FodelselandArKCKM / FolkmRegFlandKCKM; history FodelselandArKPopulation by region, region/country of birth and sexReference period: 2000–2025 · Retrieved: 2026-10-11
Open source ↗BE0101N1Population by municipality, age, sex and year (31 Dec)Reference period: 2002–2025 · Retrieved: 2026-08-13
Open source ↗- Open source ↗
ME0104General elections — votes per party and municipality (Election Authority via SCB)
Each figure on this page is traceable to the dataset listed above. Missing data is left out — never shown as zero. Definitions, model and sources