Insights · Statistics
How many mid-sized companies are there in Sweden?
According to Statistics Sweden's business register, there are 22,824 active privately owned limited companies with 20–499 employees in Sweden (September 2026). 10,922 of them are in industries that mainly sell to other businesses: manufacturing, wholesale, IT, consulting and business services. Two in three have fewer than 50 employees.
The numbers at a glance
- 22,824 active privately owned limited companies have 20–499 employees.
- 66% have 20–49 employees. Only 5% have 200 or more.
- 10,922 (48%) are in industries that mainly sell to other businesses.
- Manufacturing is the largest industry, with 3,383 companies.
- 62% are in the counties of Stockholm, Västra Götaland and Skåne.
- 14% are foreign-owned. 59% are part of a Swedish group.
How are the companies distributed by size?
| Size | Companies | Share | Of which B2B-heavy industries |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20–49 employees | 15,134 | 66% | 6,809 |
| 50–99 employees | 4,598 | 20% | 2,363 |
| 100–199 employees | 1,967 | 9% | 1,110 |
| 200–499 employees | 1,125 | 5% | 640 |
| Total | 22,824 | 100% | 10,922 |
Which industries have the most mid-sized companies?
Industries marked * mainly sell to other businesses by our definition (see method below).
| Industry (SNI 2025) | Companies | Share | 20–49 empl. | 50–499 empl. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing * | 3,383 | 15% | 1,946 | 1,437 |
| Construction | 2,970 | 13% | 2,265 | 705 |
| Hotels and restaurants | 2,356 | 10% | 1,838 | 518 |
| Legal, accounting, consulting and engineering * | 2,226 | 10% | 1,508 | 718 |
| Wholesale trade * | 1,957 | 9% | 1,275 | 682 |
| Retail trade | 1,823 | 8% | 1,183 | 640 |
| Rental and business support services * | 1,788 | 8% | 1,100 | 688 |
| Transport and storage | 1,408 | 6% | 906 | 502 |
| Health and social care | 1,307 | 6% | 751 | 556 |
| Telecom, IT and information services * | 1,189 | 5% | 753 | 436 |
| Education | 634 | 3% | 400 | 234 |
| Publishing, film, radio and TV * | 379 | 2% | 227 | 152 |
| Arts and recreation | 354 | 2% | 248 | 106 |
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 274 | 1% | 215 | 59 |
| Real estate | 262 | 1% | 167 | 95 |
| Other services | 252 | 1% | 180 | 72 |
| Water, sewerage and waste | 102 | 0% | 67 | 35 |
| Finance and insurance | 71 | 0% | 50 | 21 |
| Electricity, gas, heating and cooling | 52 | 0% | 32 | 20 |
| Mining and quarrying | 35 | 0% | 22 | 13 |
| Public administration | 2 | 0% | 1 | 1 |
Where in Sweden are they?
| County | Companies | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Stockholm | 7,547 | 33% |
| Västra Götaland | 3,899 | 17% |
| Skåne | 2,792 | 12% |
| Jönköping | 914 | 4% |
| Östergötland | 855 | 4% |
| Halland | 683 | 3% |
| Uppsala | 546 | 2% |
| Örebro | 540 | 2% |
| Dalarna | 486 | 2% |
| Värmland | 481 | 2% |
| Västerbotten | 475 | 2% |
| Västmanland | 470 | 2% |
| Kronoberg | 468 | 2% |
| Gävleborg | 456 | 2% |
| Norrbotten | 450 | 2% |
| Södermanland | 408 | 2% |
| Västernorrland | 405 | 2% |
| Kalmar | 399 | 2% |
| Blekinge | 226 | 1% |
| Jämtland | 221 | 1% |
| Gotland | 103 | 0% |
Who owns them?
| Ownership | Companies | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Swedish-owned, standalone | 6,112 | 27% |
| Swedish-owned, part of a group | 13,433 | 59% |
| Foreign-owned | 3,279 | 14% |
What does this mean for AI adoption?
Most mid-sized companies in Sweden are smaller than you might think. Two in three have fewer than 50 employees. They rarely have an AI department, a data platform or a change organisation. The same people who sell, quote and deliver are the ones who need to get AI support running.
That is why a narrow start works best: one process, one owner, the impact measured in weeks. Read more in the guides Where should a B2B company start with AI? and What is AI transformation?
Method and scope
- Source: Statistics Sweden (SCB) business register, retrieved through SCB's API into a local copy. Extract dated 2026-09-30.
- Population: active limited companies in the non-financial corporate sector, privately owned (Swedish-owned with or without a group, and foreign-owned). Municipal, regional and state-owned companies are excluded.
- Size: SCB's employee size classes 20–49, 50–99, 100–199 and 200–499.
- Industry: the company's main activity under SNI 2025 (the Swedish version of NACE Rev. 2.1), grouped by section. Trade is split into wholesale and retail. Names are shortened.
- B2B-heavy industries is our own definition: manufacturing, wholesale, publishing and media, telecom and IT, legal, accounting, consulting and engineering, and rental and business support services. Construction and transport sell to both businesses and consumers and are not included.
- Legal entities: each limited company is counted separately. A group with several subsidiaries in the size range is therefore counted several times.
The figures are updated when the register is synced. Feel free to cite with source: Inonom, analysis of the SCB business register.
Sources: SCB, Business Register · SCB, Swedish Standard Industrial Classification (SNI)
FAQ
Common questions about the statistics
How many mid-sized companies are there in Sweden?
According to Statistics Sweden's business register, there are 22,824 active privately owned limited companies with 20–499 employees in Sweden (September 2026). 10,922 of them are in industries that mainly sell to other businesses: manufacturing, wholesale, IT, consulting and business services. Two in three have fewer than 50 employees.
How many B2B companies with 20–499 employees are there?
10,922 active privately owned limited companies in industries that mainly sell to other businesses, according to the SCB business register (2026-09-30).
Which industry has the most mid-sized companies?
Manufacturing, with 3,383 companies, followed by construction and hotels and restaurants.
Where are most mid-sized companies located?
In Stockholm County, with 7,547 companies. Stockholm, Västra Götaland and Skåne together account for 62%.
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