Stockholm

1. Stockholm is built on 14 islands connected by over 50 bridges, giving it a unique waterfront landscape and a picturesque setting that can be explored by boat. 2. The city has a secret underground lake, called the "Sjöstad," located beneath the city, which is part of a complex system of waterways and tunnels that were used for transportation and waste management in the past. 3. Stockholm is home to the world's first open-air museum, Skansen, established in 1891, showcasing Swedish culture and history through preserved buildings and traditional crafts, making it a unique blend of museum and zoo.

As of mid-2025, the Stockholm housing market is stabilizing after a steep price correction from 2022–2023. Currently, about 60% of Stockholm residents rent their homes, while roughly 40% are homeowners. Of renters, approximately 17% live in public housing, known locally as "allmännyttan." The rest rent from private landlords or participate in cooperative housing, which represents about 22% of the city’s housing stock. The median price to buy an apartment in Stockholm is close to 7,500 EUR per sqm. Renting apartments on the regulated market typically costs about 30 EUR per sqm per month, but competitive demand has led to long waiting lists—between 5 and 30 years for regulated rentals. Short-term and sublet rentals, or informal market rates, can be much higher. Public housing in Stockholm is fundamentally different from social housing models common elsewhere in Europe. It follows a universalist, non-means-tested model: apartments are accessible to all residents, with allocation based on waiting lists rather than economic need. True social housing, reserved for the most vulnerable residents, is rare in Stockholm. The persistent housing shortage, especially for affordable rentals, is a leading urban challenge, with vacancy rates near zero. The city is building about 4,000 homes a year, far below the estimated 9,000–13,000 needed annually to satisfy demand.

Stockholm is experiencing a deep and persistent housing crisis marked by extreme shortages and worsening affordability. The city faces a significant undersupply, with an estimated deficit of around 80,000 homes needed just for those on very low incomes. The challenges stem from high demand, steep property prices and rents, slow construction, and tight building regulations, all compounding the imbalance between supply and demand. Many residents are forced into insecure, short-term, or secondary rental situations. The impact is especially severe on young adults, single parents, low-income groups, immigrants, and newly arrived refugees. Survey data show two-thirds of people under 18 worry about their future housing prospects, and more than one in five people aged 25–34 have delayed starting a family due to housing issues. Long waiting lists for regulated rental apartments, often exceeding nine years, make access even more difficult. People with lower incomes, those renting on the informal market, and those born outside Sweden are at the highest risk of exclusion, contributing to growing homelessness—over 33,000 people nationally, with children heavily affected. Rapid urbanization, high migration, and slow home-building intensify these problems, with recent years seeing only about 4,000 new homes added annually in Stockholm, far below the 9,000–13,000 needed. This has led to increased socioeconomic and ethnic segregation, and forced life decisions such as living at home longer or remaining in unwanted relationships. The crisis affects nearly all age groups, but particularly the young and socially vulnerable.

Stockholm’s city administration aims to tackle affordable and sustainable housing through targets set in the City Plan and a series of focused programs. The city is planning for 140,000 new homes by 2030, emphasizing a broad mix of housing types and tenures, and giving priority to social and economic integration. Attention is given to environmental standards and neighborhood connectivity to prevent segregation and promote equal access to opportunities. A flagship program, Stockholmshusen (Stockholm Houses), is run by the city’s municipal housing companies. It uses standardized and prefabricated construction methods to accelerate production and contain costs, enabling the delivery of thousands of new, energy-efficient rental apartments at below-market rents. These projects prioritize sustainability: units are located near public transit, feature cycling infrastructure, and include modern energy efficiency technology. Stockholm also supports the development of co-living spaces through private and public partnerships, especially targeting young people and new arrivals. These flexible, community-oriented options are increasingly favored by the city and national government as cost-effective, adaptable solutions. Other activities include expanding public housing available to all residents, increasing funding for climate-neutral building, improving infrastructure such as new transit lines to unlock new housing areas, and piloting fast-track rental access for vulnerable groups. The city participates in national initiatives like Housing First programs for homelessness prevention and leverages EU and EIB funds to support green affordable housing developments.

Housing cooperatives, organized as tenant-ownership associations (bostadsrätter), play a key role in Stockholm’s housing landscape. These cooperatives account for about 22% of all housing units in the city—a major form of tenure besides private rentals and public housing. The sector has grown consistently over recent decades, although recent years have brought financial strain: in 2024, high interest rates led to record fee hikes for cooperative members and the highest number of cooperative bankruptcies in over a decade. Despite these pressures, cooperatives remain central to Stockholm’s housing supply, especially in inner-city districts. Development remains dynamic; production of new cooperative housing has slowed due to economic uncertainty, and the city now emphasizes a more diverse mix of tenure models in new construction. Cooperative associations face challenges with rising costs and reduced savings levels, making sound financial management and capacity-building a policy priority. Stockholm does not run standalone cooperative promotion programs, but its City Plan supports a broad range of housing models, including cooperatives, with policies focused on social integration, energy efficiency, and increased housing supply. The city partners with large cooperative sector organizations and encourages innovation—such as standardized construction and sustainable housing solutions—benefiting both cooperatives and other sectors alike. Cooperative housing thus remains a vital but evolving element, shaped by wider economic and policy shifts.