Poverty and living standards in Malmö, Sweden: official figures
Malmö ranked 1st of 13 large Swedish cities on the share of residents aged 25 and over with persistently low economic standard in 2023, at 12.1% against a national figure of 7.3%.
How many people are on welfare in Malmö?
The share of adults receiving social assistance (ekonomiskt bistånd) in Malmö came to 4.0% in 2025, the highest among the large Swedish cities (Sweden: 2.1%), down from 6.9% in 2020.
Source: RKA (Rådet för främjande av kommunala analyser), Kolada · saved copyWhat is the crime rate in Malmö?
At 16,183 in 2025, Malmö was above the Swedish level of 13,581 on reported crimes per 100,000 residents, putting it 2nd highest among the large Swedish cities.
Source: RKA (Rådet för främjande av kommunala analyser), Kolada · saved copyHow many homes are being built in Malmö?
Newly built homes completed per 1,000 residents in Malmö stood at 3.2 in 2025, down from 9.3 in 2020; the figure for Sweden was 3.0.
Source: RKA (Rådet för främjande av kommunala analyser), Kolada · saved copyHow many people live alone in Malmö?
41% of the 146,862 households in Malmö were people living alone in 2018, and 5.2% were lone parents with children under 18.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyCan people in Malmö afford their bills?
In the EU's 2023 quality of life survey, 4% of residents of Malmö said they had difficulty paying their bills at the end of the month most of the time.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyMore figures
- The share of adults on long-term social assistance in Malmö stood at 2.3% in 2025, down from 3.8% in 2020; the figure for Sweden was 1.0%. Source: RKA (Rådet för främjande av kommunala analyser), Kolada · saved copy
- In 2025, the cost of social assistance per resident in Malmö was SEK 3,438, compared with SEK 1,519 for Sweden as a whole; that was the highest among the large Swedish cities. Source: RKA (Rådet för främjande av kommunala analyser), Kolada · saved copy
- Malmö ranked 2nd of 13 large Swedish cities on reported crimes against liberty and peace (threats, harassment) per 100,000 residents in 2025, at 2,073 against a national figure of 1,688. Source: RKA (Rådet för främjande av kommunala analyser), Kolada · saved copy
- The Gini coefficient of household disposable income in Malmö came to 0.321 in 2024, 4th highest among the large Swedish cities (Sweden: 0.314), down from 0.323 in 2019. Source: RKA (Rådet för främjande av kommunala analyser), Kolada · saved copy
- 34% of people in Malmö agreed that it is easy to find good housing at a reasonable price (EU quality of life in European cities survey, 2023). Source: Eurostat · saved copy
- 74% of people in Malmö felt safe walking alone at night in the city (EU quality of life in European cities survey, 2023). Source: Eurostat · saved copy
How Malmö compares with other cities in Sweden
The share of residents aged 25 and over with persistently low economic standard (2023)
Malmö ranks 1 of 13, highest first. Among the 13 largest municipalities
| Rank | City | The share of residents aged 25 and over with persistently low economic standard |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Malmö | 12.1% |
| 2 | Södertälje | 11.1% |
| 3 | Norrköping | 9.2% |
| 4 | Orebro | 9.1% |
| 5 | Helsingborg | 9.1% |
| 6 | Göteborg | 8.5% |
| 7 | Borås | 7.9% |
The share of adults receiving social assistance (ekonomiskt bistånd) (2025)
Malmö ranks 1 of 13, highest first. Among the 13 largest municipalities
| Rank | City | The share of adults receiving social assistance (ekonomiskt bistånd) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Malmö | 4.0% |
| 2 | Helsingborg | 3.2% |
| 3 | Norrköping | 3.0% |
| 4 | Orebro | 2.7% |
| 5 | Linköping | 2.7% |
| 6 | Göteborg | 2.5% |
| 7 | Västerås | 2.5% |
Reported crimes per 100,000 residents (2025)
Malmö ranks 2 of 13, highest first. Among the 13 largest municipalities
| Rank | City | Reported crimes per 100,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stockholm | 19,159 |
| 2 | Malmö | 16,183 |
| 3 | Helsingborg | 15,583 |
| 4 | Södertälje | 14,486 |
| 5 | Västerås | 14,153 |
| 6 | Orebro | 13,915 |
| 7 | Göteborg | 13,878 |
Newly built homes completed per 1,000 residents (2025)
Malmö ranks 8 of 13, highest first. Among the 13 largest municipalities
| Rank | City | Newly built homes completed per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Stockholm | 4.1 |
| 6 | Uppsala | 3.8 |
| 7 | Göteborg | 3.4 |
| 8 | Malmö | 3.2 |
| 9 | Västerås | 2.5 |
| 10 | Lund | 1.7 |
| 11 | Norrköping | 1.3 |
More on Malmö: overview · economy and jobs · health · education and schools · government budget · government and politics · all cities in Sweden
Sources
- RKA (Rådet för främjande av kommunala analyser), Kolada: Kolada key figures for 13 large Swedish municipalities and Sweden (municipal finances, tax rates, schools, social assistance, reported crime, housing, income, jobs, elected representatives), 2015-2026, Kolada API v3, read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 9dd73cdde6c8…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset urb_clivcon: Urban Audit: living conditions (cities), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 bc58ab68d418…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset urb_percep: Quality of life in European cities survey 2023: perception (cities), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 81bd3e277f3e…)
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