Var bor Sveriges högutbildade och var kommer de ifrån?

Författare

  • Andreas Bergh
  • Maria Brandén
  • Alba Stjärnkvist

Abstract

Where do Sweden’s highly educated live – and where do they come from?

This study investigates the geographical distribution of highly educated individuals in Sweden, examining where they live and where they come from. The study utilises longitudinal individual data on individuals born between 1972 and 1984 and illustrates educational disparities between Swedish regions based on where the individuals lived at age 18 and at age 33. The geographical units are regions, allowing for a comprehensive analysis. We show that educational disparities are smaller when described using region of origin compared to region of residence. High levels of educational attainment in urban areas are thus largely due to the immigration of educated individuals. Conversely, rural regions experience brain drain, losing educated individuals to cities. By comparing the two perspectives, we can show that brain drain does not increase over time. Based on region of origin, higher education has become more geographically equitable over the period studied. Importantly, however, increasingly highly educated people have grown up in Stockholm. If that trend continues, it may become difficult in the future for highly educated people from the rest of Sweden to compete for jobs in Stockholm.

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Publicerad

2025-01-19