Västra Götalands län
- Share 2025
- 28.0 %
- Δ 2015→2025
- +5.7 pp
- Immigration page
In depth · Vara
Immigration and foreign background in Vara
Key facts
Vara ranks 201 of 290 municipalities for Share of residents with a foreign background (2025).
Source: SCB BE0101Q2 · 2025
Vara ranks 33 of 49 in Västra Götalands län for Share of residents with a foreign background (2025).
Source: SCB BE0101Q2 · 2025
Latest statistics: 2024–2025 depending on indicator
Vara: 2,429 residents (15.2%) had a foreign background in 2025, out of 16,011 residents. Source: Statistics Sweden. Sweden, foreign background: 27.7%; difference −12.5 percentage points (2025). 1,983 residents were born abroad (12.4%, 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
Vara in brief
- Share with foreign background, 2025
- 15.2 %
- Change 2002–2025
- +8.8 pp
- Absolute change in percentage points.
- Sweden, 2025
- 27.7 %
- Difference: −12.5 pp.
- Rank (highest share = 1)
- 201 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 Vara with a foreign background. Source: Statistics Sweden (SCB), BE0101Q2. The 2025 observation uses the CKM disclosure-control method.
Foreign background — 2002: 6.4 %; 2003: 6.5 %; 2004: 6.6 %; 2005: 6.9 %; 2006: 7.1 %; 2007: 7.5 %; 2008: 7.7 %; 2009: 7.9 %; 2010: 8.3 %; 2011: 8.6 %; 2012: 8.8 %; 2013: 9.1 %; 2014: 9.6 %; 2015: 10.3 %; 2016: 11.3 %; 2017: 12.0 %; 2018: 12.6 %; 2019: 13.3 %; 2020: 14.1 %; 2021: 14.3 %; 2022: 14.7 %; 2023: 14.7 %; 2024: 14.9 %; 2025: 15.2 %
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
- Vara
- 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
1,960 people
12.2% of the population · 2024
Foreign-born = born outside Sweden (narrower than "foreign background").
Born in Sweden87.8 %(14,128)
Nordics excluding Sweden1.5 %(245)
Other Europe5.0 %(813)
Outside Europe5.6 %(902)
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)
- 16.3 %
- Received, 5 years
- 106
- 6.6 / 1000 (national 7.0)
- Vulnerable areas
- —
- Swedish Police 2025
- Scenario / resident / yrAnalysis/model
- −98 kr
- Range −70 kr → −124 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 Vara with other municipalities →Compare Vara with other municipalities
Vara is preselected. Add up to 5 other municipalities — or use the shortcuts for the top/bottom 5.
- Vara15.2 %
Vara — 2002: 6.4 %; 2003: 6.5 %; 2004: 6.6 %; 2005: 6.9 %; 2006: 7.1 %; 2007: 7.5 %; 2008: 7.7 %; 2009: 7.9 %; 2010: 8.3 %; 2011: 8.6 %; 2012: 8.8 %; 2013: 9.1 %; 2014: 9.6 %; 2015: 10.3 %; 2016: 11.3 %; 2017: 12.0 %; 2018: 12.6 %; 2019: 13.3 %; 2020: 14.1 %; 2021: 14.3 %; 2022: 14.7 %; 2023: 14.7 %; 2024: 14.9 %; 2025: 15.2 %
Max 6 municipalities. Source: SCB BE0101Q2 (UtlSvBakgGrov). · Vara
Vara 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.
Sweden
- Share 2025
- 27.7 %
- Δ 2015→2025
- +5.5 pp
- Immigration page
Kungälv
- Share 2025
- 15.3 %
- Δ 2015→2025
- +4.2 pp
- Immigration page
- Immigration in Kungälv
Vara
- Share 2025
- 15.2 %
- Δ 2015→2025
- +4.9 pp
- Immigration page
Lidköping
- Share 2025
- 15.1 %
- Δ 2015→2025
- +3.7 pp
- Immigration page
- Immigration in Lidköping
Lerum
- Share 2025
- 15.1 %
- Δ 2015→2025
- +3.1 pp
- Immigration page
- Immigration in Lerum
Essunga
- Share 2025
- 11.4 %
- Δ 2015→2025
- +2.1 pp
- Immigration page
- Immigration in Essunga
Grästorp
- Share 2025
- 9.7 %
- Δ 2015→2025
- +1.4 pp
- Immigration page
- Immigration in Grästorp
| Municipality | Share 2025 | Δ 2015→2025 | Immigration page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Västra Götalands län | 28.0 % | +5.7 pp | |
| Sweden | 27.7 % | +5.5 pp | |
| Kungälv | 15.3 % | +4.2 pp | Immigration in Kungälv |
| Vara | 15.2 % | +4.9 pp | |
| Lidköping | 15.1 % | +3.7 pp | Immigration in Lidköping |
| Lerum | 15.1 % | +3.1 pp | Immigration in Lerum |
| Essunga | 11.4 % | +2.1 pp | Immigration in Essunga |
| Grästorp | 9.7 % | +1.4 pp | Immigration in Grästorp |
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
- 80.98 %
- Seats
- 41
- Valid votes
- 10,251
- Blank votes
- 177
| Party | Share | vs 2022 | Votes | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35.64 % | – | 3,653 | 15 | |
| 20.18 % | – | 2,069 | 9 | |
| 16.95 % | – | 1,738 | 7 | |
| 10.25 % | – | 1,051 | 4 | |
| 6.72 % | – | 689 | 3 | |
| 4.98 % | – | 510 | 2 | |
| 2.93 % | – | 300 | 1 | |
| Other parties (8) | 2.35 % | – | 241 | – |
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 Vara (2014–2022)
Everything about Vara
Schools, crime, economy, tax rate and elections are on the municipality's main page.
Open Vara municipality in figures →Frequently asked questions
›What share of the population in Vara has a foreign background?
In 2025, 15.2 % of the population in Vara had a foreign background according to Statistics Sweden (BE0101Q2) — 12.5 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 Vara have a foreign background?
2,429 residents of Vara 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 Vara changed since 2002?
The share has risen from 6.4 % (2002) to 15.2 % (2025), a change of +8.8 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 Vara 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