There isn’t a precise official count for “Black people” in Sweden, because Swedish statistics generally do not track race in the same way some other countries do. Public estimates vary a lot: one source puts the number around 200,000 people with African roots or heritage, while another estimate suggests roughly 371,000 people, or about 3.5% of the population, depending on how the group is defined.

Why the number is unclear

  • “Black” is not a standard category in Sweden’s official population statistics.
  • Estimates often mix together different measures, such as African-born residents, people with African heritage, and second-generation descendants.
  • That means any single number should be treated as an estimate, not a census count.

A practical way to read it

If you just want a rough public estimate, a reasonable range is about 200,000 to 370,000 people, depending on definition.

If you want the narrowest interpretation, African-born residents in Sweden were reported at 250,881 in 2022.

Important note

Because these figures come from different definitions and sources, they should not be treated as directly comparable or exact.