What is Sweden known for manufacturing?
Sweden is known for chemicals and pharmaceuticals, machinery and vehicles: they were 13.9%, 13.5% and 13.4% of its goods exports in 2024 (Business Sweden, UN Comtrade data). Pharmaceuticals are 8.48% of Swedish manufacturing turnover, against 5.62% in the EU. Manufacturing labour cost EUR 47.2 an hour in 2025, the highest of the five countries.
What are Sweden's main manufacturing industries?
Pharmaceuticals, food and wood. Among the branches compared here, pharmaceuticals had the largest net turnover in 2024, EUR 24.6 billion, or 8.48% of Swedish manufacturing against 5.62% in the EU. Food products brought EUR 20.02 billion and wood products other than furniture EUR 10.72 billion (Eurostat).
| Branch | Enterprises | Net turnover | Share of manufacturing | Sweden in the EU or among the five |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmaceuticals (C21) | 123 | EUR 24.6 billion | 8.48% | Above the EU average of 5.62% |
| Food products (C10) | 3,724 | EUR 20.02 billion | 6.9% | 25th of 27 (EU 13.93%); largest turnover of the five |
| Wood and wood products, except furniture (C16) | 4,068 | EUR 10.72 billion | Not compared here | Largest turnover of the five |
| Furniture (C31) | 2,106 | EUR 2.99 billion | 1.03% | 17th of 26; largest turnover of the five |
| Made-up textile articles (bed linen, towels, curtains) (C13.92) | 631 | EUR 213 million | Not compared here | Not compared here |
| Perfumes and toilet preparations (cosmetics) (C20.42) | 203 | EUR 334 million | Not compared here | Most enterprises of the five, 10th in the EU |
| Soap, detergents and cleaning preparations (C20.41) | 66 | EUR 310 million | Not compared here | Most turnover of the five |
Size and specialisation differ in Sweden. Its food industry has the largest turnover of the five countries but is only 6.9% of Swedish manufacturing, and furniture is 1.03%. Manufacturing as a whole was 14.16% of Swedish gross value added in 2024, below the EU's 16.06% (Eurostat national accounts).
What does Sweden export most?
Chemicals and pharmaceuticals, machinery and cars, in almost equal parts. Business Sweden writes that "Sweden has roughly the same export profile as the rest of Europe"; on UN Comtrade data for 2024, chemicals and pharmaceuticals were 13.9% of Swedish goods exports, machinery 13.5%, automotive 13.4% and electronics and telecom 10.3%.
| Product group | Share of goods exports |
|---|---|
| Chemicals and pharmaceuticals | 13.9% |
| Machinery | 13.5% |
| Automotive | 13.4% |
| Electronics and telecom | 10.3% |
| Food and beverage | 6.4% |
| Pulp and paper | 6.2% |
| Petroleum products | 5.9% |
| Steel | 3.7% |
| Wood products | 2.5% |
| Textiles and footwear | 2.4% |
| Metal goods | 2.3% |
| Instruments | 2.0% |
| Furniture | 1.1% |
| Other goods | 16.4% |
Sweden holds just under 0.9% of world goods exports, 0.7% of world food and beverage exports and 1.0% of world furniture exports, by the same report. Statistics Sweden's 2025 tables by product could not be read for this page, so the 2024 split is the latest given here.
How big is Sweden's furniture industry?
Sweden produced furniture worth SEK 25.9 billion in 2025, according to Statistics Sweden figures processed by the wood and furniture industry association TMF. In TMF's words, "Den svenska exporten av möbler uppgick till 20 miljarder kronor under 2025, en minskning med 3 procent": furniture exports came to SEK 20 billion, 3% less than in 2024.
92% of the exports went to the EU and the rest of Europe, led by Norway (31%), Denmark (12%) and Germany (11%). Sweden also imported SEK 20.5 billion of furniture, from China (22%), Poland (19%), Lithuania (14%) and Denmark (9%). Eurostat counted 2,106 furniture enterprises in 2024, with 13,385 people and EUR 2.99 billion of turnover.
Which product groups do Swedish manufacturers make for other brands?
NordSourced lists 104 manufacturers in Sweden whose own websites say they make products for other brands. By group they make furniture and interior products (29), food and beverages (26), cosmetics (19), food supplements (12), household and cleaning products (12), home textiles (3). A company that makes more than one kind of product counts in each of its groups.
Eurostat counts every enterprise in a branch and NordSourced only those that offer private label or contract manufacturing, so the two sets of numbers measure different things and should not be compared one to one.
| Product group | Manufacturers listed | Ranked list |
|---|---|---|
| Furniture & interior | 29 | Swedish furniture manufacturers |
| Food & beverages | 26 | Swedish food and beverage manufacturers |
| Cosmetics | 19 | Swedish cosmetics manufacturers |
| Food supplements | 12 | Swedish supplement manufacturers |
| Household & cleaning | 12 | Swedish cleaning product manufacturers |
| Home textiles | 3 | Fewer than five listed, no list page yet |
How much does manufacturing labour cost in Sweden?
EUR 47.2 an hour in 2025, the highest of the five countries and about 135% of the EU average of EUR 35.0 (Eurostat, manufacturing; our division). Labour is one part of a unit price next to materials, packaging and batch size, so a gap in labour cost is not the same gap per unit.
| Country | EUR per hour |
|---|---|
| Latvia | 14.9 |
| Lithuania | 16.4 |
| Estonia | 19.5 |
| Finland | 43.6 |
| Sweden | 47.2 |
| EU average (27 countries) | 35.0 |
Across the whole economy, non-wage costs were 31.7% of Swedish labour costs in 2025, second only to France at 32.3% (Eurostat). Total hourly labour costs in Sweden rose 3.4% in the year to the fourth quarter of 2025, against 3.7% in the EU (Eurostat).
Which Swedish manufacturers publish their minimum order?
8 of the 104 manufacturers listed in Sweden state a minimum order on their own website. They are below in alphabetical order, with the quantity in their own unit; the order is not a ranking. Compare a quantity only with one in the same unit and for the same service, as the minimum order guide explains.
| Manufacturer | Country | Product groups | Published minimum order |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bars Production | Sweden | Food supplements, Food & beverages | 10,000 bars (yearly minimum ≈100,000) |
| Labs Nutrition | Sweden | Food supplements | 120 kg |
| Make My Products | Sweden | Furniture & interior | 100 pieces |
| Owncollection | Sweden | Cosmetics | 100 pieces |
| QIVA Cosmetics | Sweden | Cosmetics | 500 units |
| Swedish Can Factory | Sweden | Beverages | 1,000 litres |
| Swedish Nutra | Sweden | Food supplements, Cosmetics | 1,200 bottles |
| WASP Sweden | Sweden | Food supplements | 200 units |
How do I check a Swedish manufacturer?
Start with Bolagsverket, Find company information. Search by the organisation number, 10 digits, written 6 + 4 with a hyphen. The name and registered address there should match the quotation and the contract. Then work through how to check a private label manufacturer: proof that it makes for other brands, where your product will be made, and certificates.
Questions and answers
Is Sweden in the EU and the euro area?
Sweden is in the EU but not in the euro area. It has been an EU member state since 1 January 1995 and uses the Swedish krona; the European Union's country page adds that "Sweden has committed to adopt the euro once it fulfils the necessary conditions." A Swedish manufacturer may quote in kronor, so agree the invoicing currency in the contract.
What is Sweden's biggest export?
Chemicals and pharmaceuticals, at 13.9% of goods exports in 2024, only just ahead of machinery (13.5%) and automotive (13.4%), on Business Sweden's reading of UN Comtrade data. A 2025 product split from Statistics Sweden could not be read for this page. Pharmaceuticals alone had EUR 24.6 billion of manufacturing turnover in 2024 (Eurostat).
Does Sweden make furniture for other brands?
Yes. Eurostat counted 2,106 furniture enterprises in Sweden in 2024 with 13,385 people and EUR 2.99 billion of turnover, the largest furniture turnover of the five countries. NordSourced lists 29 Swedish furniture and interior manufacturers whose own websites say they make for other brands; see the Swedish furniture list. 1 of them publishes a minimum order.
Does Sweden make cosmetics?
Yes. Sweden has the most cosmetics enterprises of the five countries: 203 in 2024, tenth in the EU, with 1,319 people and EUR 334 million of turnover (Eurostat). The trade association KoHF said in 2018 that it had about 150 member companies. NordSourced lists 19 Swedish cosmetics manufacturers that make for other brands; see the Swedish cosmetics list.
Does Sweden make home textiles?
On a modest scale. Eurostat counted 631 enterprises making made-up textile articles such as bed linen and towels in Sweden in 2024, with 1,782 people and EUR 213 million of turnover. Textiles and footwear were 2.4% of Swedish goods exports in 2024 (Business Sweden). NordSourced lists 3 Swedish home textile manufacturers that make for other brands.
How big is Sweden's food industry?
By turnover the largest of the five countries: 3,724 enterprises, 53,137 people and EUR 20.02 billion in 2024, though only 6.9% of Swedish manufacturing (Eurostat). The food federation Livsmedelsföretagen writes "Vi företräder 750 livsmedelsproducenter som tillsammans sysselsätter 45 000 personer" (we represent 750 food producers who together employ 45,000 people).
Is manufacturing in Sweden more expensive than in Finland or the Baltics?
Labour is. An hour of manufacturing labour cost EUR 47.2 in Sweden in 2025, the highest of the five countries, against EUR 43.6 in Finland and between EUR 14.9 and EUR 19.5 in the Baltic states (Eurostat). What you pay per unit also depends on materials, packaging, batch size and who develops the product, so compare quotations for the same brief.
How many private label manufacturers are there in Sweden?
NordSourced lists 104, each because its own website says it makes products for other brands; 8 of them publish a minimum order. That is not every manufacturer in Sweden: companies that offer the service without saying so on their website are not counted. The ranked lists are on the Sweden page.
Which Swedish manufacturers take a small first order?
4 of the 8 Swedish manufacturers that publish a minimum order state 500 or fewer finished units, for example Make My Products, Owncollection, QIVA Cosmetics, WASP Sweden. Most Swedish manufacturers do not publish a minimum order at all, so ask for it in the first enquiry and read what each figure covers; the minimum order guide explains how to compare them.
Which product group has the most Swedish manufacturers on NordSourced?
Furniture & interior, with 29 of the 104 Swedish manufacturers listed, followed by food & beverages with 26. The count includes only companies whose own website says they make products for other brands, and a company that makes more than one kind of product counts in each of its groups.
Does Sweden make cleaning products for other brands?
Yes. Soap, detergent and cleaning products had 66 enterprises and EUR 310 million of turnover in Sweden in 2024, the most turnover of the five countries (Eurostat). Professional hygiene and cleaning companies have their own association, BPHR, one of five inside KTF. NordSourced lists 12 Swedish household and cleaning manufacturers.
Does Sweden make food supplements for other brands?
Yes. NordSourced lists 12 Swedish food supplement manufacturers whose websites say they make for other brands; see the Swedish supplement list. Eurostat has no separate branch for food supplements, so there is no official count of supplement producers to set beside it, and no Swedish export figure for supplements was found.
Does Sweden export prefabricated wooden houses?
Yes, and exports are growing. TMF reports that "Exporten av monteringsfärdiga trähus ökade med 34 procent till 749 miljoner kronor under 2025" (exports of prefabricated wooden houses rose 34% to SEK 749 million), mainly to Norway, Germany and Finland. Statistics Sweden counts 563 companies in the trade, with production worth SEK 20 billion.
Where to go next
Sources
- Eurostat, Enterprise statistics by size class and NACE Rev. 2 activity (sbs_ovw_act), reference year 2024, Eurostat. Checked 12 Oct 2026.
- Eurostat, Labour cost levels by NACE Rev. 2 activity (lc_lci_lev), manufacturing, 2025, Eurostat. Checked 12 Oct 2026.
- Eurostat, Gross value added by industry (nama_10_a10), manufacturing and total, 2024 and 2025 (API query), Eurostat. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- Global export of goods 2025: global headwinds slow Swedish goods exports, Business Sweden, UN Comtrade data. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- TMF i siffror, nr 1, April 2026, Trä- och Möbelföretagen (TMF), Statistics Sweden figures. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- Livsmedelsföretagens kompetensrapport 2026, Livsmedelsföretagen (Swedish Food Federation). Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- Kosmetikindustrin vill inte bli hjälpt av importtullar riktade mot USA (press release, 14 March 2018), Kosmetik- och Hygienföretagen (KoHF). Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- Om KTF, Kemisk Tekniska Företagen (KTF). Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- Hourly labour costs (Statistics Explained), Eurostat. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- Labour cost index, fourth quarter of 2025 (euro indicators, 19 March 2026), Eurostat. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- Sweden: country profile, European Union. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
Directory figures are counted from the manufacturers listed on NordSourced, each listed because its own website says it makes products for other brands; see how we check. This page is general information, not legal advice. Found a mistake? Tell us.