Segregation has changed fundamentally
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Sweden has become both more ethnically and economically segregated over the past 30 years. A new study from Jönköping University (JU) shows that areas with a large share of residents with a foreign background are now more likely to be characterized by lower incomes, lower employment rates, and lower levels of education than in the past.
The study also shows that socioeconomic segregation does not arise immediately, or as an automatic consequence, during periods of relatively high immigration. Instead, it develops gradually over time. The findings suggest that immigration, the housing market, and public policy decisions together influence this development.
These findings are presented in a new study by researchers Sofia Wixe, Associate Professor of Economics, and Charlotta Mellander, Professor of Economics at Jönköping International Business School, Jönköping University.
The study is based on register data covering the entire Swedish population between 1990 and 2022. The researchers examined how ethnic and socioeconomic segregation have evolved over time, how they have become increasingly interconnected, and how these trends relate to immigration.
Thirty years ago, the link between foreign background and economic disadvantage was far less pronounced than it is today.
“The most striking finding is not that ethnic segregation has increased, but that it increasingly overlaps with socioeconomic disadvantage. This is where the long-term consequences of segregation become most apparent,” says Charlotta Mellander.
Ethnic and Economic Segregation Follow Different Patterns
The study shows that immigration from non-Western countries is clearly associated with increased ethnic segregation in the short term. One possible explanation is that newly arrived immigrants often move to areas where they have relatives, friends, or other social connections, and where housing is easier to access.
The relationship between immigration and socioeconomic segregation, however, follows a different pattern. In this case, changes become visible only over a longer period of time.
The findings suggest that segregation is not triggered by a single period of high immigration. Instead, it develops gradually as people with similar socioeconomic circumstances become concentrated in the same neighborhoods.
Housing Markets and Public Policy Matter
The researchers emphasize that the study does not show that segregation is an inevitable consequence of immigration. On the contrary, how segregation unfolds varies across different periods, suggesting that housing market structures and settlement policies can play an important role in shaping how segregation develops.
During parts of the 1990s, the relationship between immigration and segregation was relatively weak. It became stronger during much of the 2000s but weakened again after 2015.
The researchers cannot determine exactly what caused these shifts. However, the trends coincide with several major changes in Swedish housing, settlement, and migration policies.
“Immigration is linked to ethnic segregation already in the short term, while the connection to socioeconomic segregation develops over a longer period. This demonstrates why the issue needs to be viewed from a long-term perspective,” says Charlotta Mellander.
