Official Statistics of Sweden

According to Swedish law, official statistics shall be available for public information, investigative work, and research. The National Library of Sweden is responsible for producing official statistics in the area of Libraries.

Statistics Sweden (SCB) External link. is responsible for coordinating the national system for official statistics. These statistics must be objective and publicly accessible.

To be classified as official, statistics must meet specific quality standards, be published free of charge, and be made available in electronic form.

The production and dissemination of official statistics are governed by the Official Statistics Act (2001:99) and the Official Statistics Ordinance (2001:100). These regulations stipulate, among other things, that:

  • Official statistics shall be available for public information, investigations and research.
  • The statistics must be objective and publicly accessible.
  • Individual-based official statistics should be disaggregated by sex unless there are specific reasons not to do so.
  • When official statistics are published, they must be marked with the label Sweden’s official statistics or with the following symbol:
The logotype for Official Statistics of Sweden.

Please note that the label and symbol may not be used for further processing or adaptation of the official statistics.

Who decides what qualifies as official statistics?

The Swedish Government determines which subject areas and statistical domains should be covered by official statistics. Each responsible statistical agency is then accountable for the content and scope of the statistics within its domain. The agency determines which variables and entities are to be examined and reported and selects the methods used to ensure the desired quality.

The National Library of Sweden has been appointed by the Government as the authority responsible for producing official statistics in the area of Libraries.