10. Reduced inequalities

Goal 10 highlights the importance of working for a society where no one is left behind, which is a guiding principle for the implementation of Agenda 2030. Equality shows strong positive correlations with social mobility, trust and good public health. Sweden is, and has long been, one of the most equal countries in the world, but at the same time there are several international and national follow-ups that show that Sweden is a country with increasing economic inequality. To this can be added segregated housing and labour markets and unequal health outcomes (Glokala Sverige n.d.).

The goal in a local context

Through its municipal responsibility for education, care and social support, the City of Malmö has good opportunities to counteract inequality among different groups of Malmö residents. Preschool, compulsory school and upper secondary school have a compensatory mission that is of great importance for increased equality in both the short and long term. In particular, the completion of primary and secondary education is of great importance when it comes to creating more equal living conditions. Other municipal tasks of importance for reducing inequality are housing and community planning, as well as an accessible and broad range of cultural and leisure activities.

What it looks like in Malmö

Economic inequality

It is common to monitor economic inequality using two complementary measures that show both the level and distribution of income in a society: average income and the Gini coefficient. In simple terms, average income provides a picture of the general level of welfare in a society, but it says nothing about how incomes are distributed, which can instead be described using the Gini coefficient. During the period 2011-2022, the average income for both women and men in Malmö has increased by around 45 per cent, but over time it is lower than in Gothenburg and the country as a whole, and significantly lower than in Stockholm. In 2011, women in Malmö had an average income of SEK 185,500, while men had an average income of SEK 232,000. The income gap between the sexes was then around 20 per cent. Over time, the income gap between the sexes has narrowed slightly and was around 18 per cent in 2022. There are also differences in average income between Malmö residents depending on where they were born. Malmö residents born outside Europe have the lowest average income (SEK 217,924) and people born in Sweden have the highest income (SEK 343,941); a difference of 58 per cent.

If we instead analyse economic inequality using the Gini coefficient, which shows how incomes are distributed between different groups, it can be seen that, despite some fluctuations, income dispersion has not increased during the years 2011-2022. A stable trend is that inequality in Malmö is clearly lower than in Stockholm throughout the measurement period. At the most recent measurement (2022), income dispersion was marginally higher in Malmö compared with Gothenburg and the country as a whole.

Social participation

Active social participation, such as visiting libraries, going to the cinema, attending study circles or dinner parties, has many positive effects, including promoting social and interpersonal trust. The social participation of Malmö residents decreased between 2019 and 2022, likely due to the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic. The decrease was greater among women and people aged 65-84. Social participation is lower among Malmö residents with little education, those on sick leave, the unemployed and old-age pensioners. There are also major differences between Malmö residents born in Sweden and Malmö residents born outside Europe. In 2022, 24 per cent of Malmö residents born in Sweden stated that they had low social participation, compared with just over 37 per cent of Malmö residents born outside Europe. In this survey, the proportion of Malmö residents with low social participation was slightly lower compared to Skåne and the rest of Sweden.

The share of young people in grade 9 who were unable to participate in social activities due to financial reasons decreased slightly between 2016 and 2024, from around 11 to 9 per cent. There are no major differences between genders over time. It is slightly more common to have to forgo social activities among young people in Malmö compared to young people in Skåne over time. For both young Malmö residents with a Swedish and foreign background, there is a decrease in the proportion reporting that they had to forgo social activities between 2016 and 2024, but the decrease was greater among young people with a Swedish background (around 2 percentage points) compared with young people with a foreign background (around 1 percentage point). Furthermore, over time, it is more common for young people born outside Europe to report that they have had to forgo social activities with friends compared with young people born in Sweden. In 2024, just over 15 per cent of young people with a non-European background had this experience compared with just over 8 per cent of young people born in Sweden; a difference of 7 percentage points between the groups. Finally, there are major differences between the city's different areas. In the 2024 survey, there was a difference of just over 17 percentage points between the two areas in Malmö that had the highest and lowest proportion of young people who stated that they could not afford to accompany friends on social activities.

Trust

Social participation and trust are linked in the sense that active social participation increases trust between people, which promotes shared norms, values and a sense of community. Sweden has a high level of trust internationally (Holmberg and Rothstein 2017), but in Malmö over a third lack trust in others. Compared with Skåne and the rest of Sweden, Malmö has a higher proportion lacking trust. Younger Malmö residents (18-34 years) are more likely to report a lack of trust, while older people (65-84 years) have the highest level of trust. Higher education correlates with higher trust; almost 46 per cent with pre-secondary education lack trust, compared to 26 per cent among Malmö residents with post-secondary education. Employment also affects trust, with lower trust among those on sick leave and unemployed. Where a person is born also explains differences in trust. Among Malmö residents with a non-European background, around 49 per cent said they lacked trust in others, compared with 29 per cent among Malmö residents born in Sweden.

Establishment of new arrivals

Reducing inequality is also about creating favourable conditions for new arrivals to establish themselves economically, politically and socially in Swedish society. Over time, the proportion of new arrivals who have gone on to work or study after completing their establishment has increased; from 28 per cent in 2015 to 37 per cent in 2023. However, a trend throughout the period is that a higher proportion of men than women go on to work or study after the establishment assignment. Studies have shown a lack of equivalence when it comes to initiatives for men and women, in that women are given less support and initiatives for establishment in Swedish society (Swedish National Audit Office 2015; Dahlin 2017; SOU 2020:46). In 2023, 60 per cent of men went on to work or study after the establishment assignment, compared with 23 per cent of women. It is worth noting that the gap between women's and men's establishment decreased between 2015 and 2021 and then increased again. In 2023, the gap was 37 percentage points between women and men, which is clearly larger than in 2015 (25 percentage points).

Another way of monitoring the development of the establishment of new arrivals is to study the proportion of gainfully employed/students among people who have applied for asylum and been granted a residence permit, their relatives and people who have come to Sweden as quota refugees. In 2018, the proportion of gainfully employed/students in this group was around 59 per cent in Malmö. After a dip in 2020, the proportion increased to 68 per cent in 2022. Although the differences over time have decreased, the proportion of people in employment/students in Malmö is lower than in Stockholm, Gothenburg and the country as a whole.

Political participation

The active engagement of citizens in political processes helps to ensure that decisions reflect a diversity of interests, creating a more inclusive and equitable societal development. Therefore, political participation is important from an equity perspective. One way to follow the development is to study the turnout in the electoral district with the lowest turnout in municipal elections. In both 2014 and 2022, the turnout was around 40 per cent in the electoral district in Malmö with the lowest turnout. It should be noted that in the 2018 elections, turnout was around 50 per cent in the district with the lowest turnout. If Malmö is compared with Stockholm and Gothenburg, there are no major differences; the district with the lowest turnout in Malmö had a turnout of 39 per cent in 2022, compared with 37.5 per cent in Stockholm and 37 per cent in Gothenburg. Studying the proportion of foreign-born among elected representatives also provides a picture of representation and inclusion. Over time, the proportion of foreign-born among elected representatives in Malmö has increased, from just over 16 per cent in 2002 to 19 per cent in 2022. In Malmö's population as a whole, 24 per cent were foreign-born in 2002, and by 2022 this proportion had risen to just over 36 per cent. Thus, the proportion of foreign-born among elected representatives has increased over the period, although not at the same rate as in the population as a whole. The proportion of foreign-born among elected representatives is higher in Malmö than in Stockholm, Gothenburg and the country as a whole.

Indicators

10.1 Lack of trust in others, percentage (%)

10.2 The user is allowed to make decisions about important matters, percentage (%)

10.3 The settlement program, percentage (%)

10.4 Working/studying individuals in need of protection and their relatives, percentage (%)

10.5 Gini coefficient, index

10.6 Unable to afford to hang out with friends, 9th grade, percentage (%)

10.7 Low social participation, percentage

10.8 Average income, SEK

10.9 Median income, SEK

10.10 Foreign-born among elected municipal politicians, percentage

10.11 Electoral districts with the lowest voter turnout in municipal elections, percentage

References

Dahlin, J. (2017). Snabbspår och stickspår – En jämställdhetsgranskning av etableringsinsatser i budgetpropositionen för 2017. Tillgänglig: https://sverigeskvinnoorganisationer.se/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Snabbspar-och-stickspar-webb.pdf

Glokala Sverige (u.å.). Arbetsbok – Agenda 2030. Tillgänglig: https://fn.se/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Arbetsbok_Glokala_Sverige_2021.pdf

Holmberg, S. och Rothstein, B. (2017). ”Misstroendets lokalisering i höglitarlandet Sverige” i Andersson, Carlander, Lindgren & Oscarsson (red) Sprickor i fasaden. Göteborg: SOM-institutet, Göteborgs universitet. Tillgänglig: https://www.gu.se/sites/default/files/2020-05/SOM%2072.%20Sprickor%20i%20fasaden%20%28Andersson%20et%20al%29%202018.pdf

Riksrevisionen (2015). Nyanländas etablering – är statens insatser effektiva? RiR2015:17. Tillgänglig: https://www.riksrevisionen.se/granskningar/granskningsrapporter/2015/nyanlandas-etablering---ar-statens-insatser-effektiva.html

Statens offentliga utredningar, SOU:2020:46. En gemensam angelägenhet. Vol 1. Tillgänglig: https://www.regeringen.se/rattsliga-dokument/statens-offentliga-utredningar/2020/08/sou-202046/