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Statyn av Gustav Adolf med byggkran i bakgrunden

Gothenburg facts

We have a mission to provide you with the best possible facts and figures to help you identify opportunities in our region. Here we have put together a page with a compilation of official Gothenburg facts. For deeper knowledge, download our publication Facts & Figures, or get in touch with us.

 

An expansive business environment 

Gothenburg has a broad and multifaceted business environment with 750 industries represented. The region is home to global brands such as Volvo, SKF, Ericsson and AstraZeneca, and is characterised by a strong entrepreneurial spirit. Prominent clusters include construction, transport and logistics, ICT industries, automotive, creative and cultural industries, life sciences and cleantech.

125 K

establishments

141 BN

turnover

Gothenburg is growing fast

Employment growth has been strong in the Gothenburg region. At the same time the labour market region is growing due to improved infrastructure and change in commuting patterns.

538 K

people employed

1.4 M

residents in Gothenburg's labour market region

34 %

Sweden's private R&D investments

61 %

Sweden's private R&D investments in automotive

Competitive on the international stage 

Gothenburg regularly scores highly in European and global comparisons on everything from innovation and sustainability to human capital and lifestyle. One example is when Gothenburg was ranked as a European innovation leader among 239 regions by the European Commission 2023. Below are a few other examples: 

1 ST

Most sustainable destination in the world (Global Destination Sustainability Index, 2022)

1 ST

Most attractive city in Sweden for talent (Talent City Sweden Index, 2023)

1 ST

Best logistics location in Sweden (Intelligent Logistik, 2023)

1 ST

Best Sustainable City Stay (Lonely Planet, 2021)

1 ST

Most international county in Sweden (Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth, 2020)

1 ST

Winner of the European Entrepreneurial Region Award 2020 (European Committee of the Regions, European Union)

3 RD

Most liveable city in the world for European expats (ECA International, 2021)

3 RD

Best for human capital and lifestyle among large European cities (fDi, 2023)

A rich exchange with the world 

Gothenburg is an important hub for Swedish imports and exports, with established trade routes to all major markets. Meanwhile, every fifth employee in the region works for a foreign-owned company and every fifth resident is foreign-born. More and more people are also visiting the city for meetings, events and leisure. 

15 %

of Sweden's exports

13 %

of Sweden's imports

2.3 K

foreign owned companies

+ 5 M

commercial guest nights

A highly skilled workforce

With high-quality universities and world-class companies, Gothenburg is a popular place to live, work and study. Our residents are relatively young and more highly educated than the national average. Gothenburg and West Sweden also rank highly in international comparisons on human capital and lifestyle.

66 K

university students

140

vocational programmes

Need more facts and statistics?

Use our data tools to analyze Gothenburg. Explore industry clusters, analyze our talent pool, compare Gothenburg with other communities, and more.

Explore Gothenburg
Göteborgs inlopp, älvsborgsbron och Sjömanshustrun

We are here to help

If you are considering establishing, investing or innovating in the region, our industry experts can provide you with information, contacts and advice. Contact us today.

Henrik Einarsson
Director of Business Establishment and Investment
Area of work: Establishment Business climate Regional development
Area of concern: Management team Establish and invest
Facts & Figures 2022

Facts & Figures, is the most comprehensive compilation of facts and statistics on the Gothenburg region’s business environment.