Business Climate Surveys

The Netherlands is Sweden's seventh-largest export market (94 billion SEK) and the third-largest market for imports (206 billion SEK). With its geographically advantageous location, together with its high level of digitalisation, technological advancements, innovative practices, and commitment to sustainability, the Netherlands makes an appealing destination for Swedish enterprises.

As the world’s eighth-largest economy and the EU’s second-largest industrial producer, Italy provides a wide range of business opportunities to Swedish companies in various sectors, offering excellent access to service providers, distributors, and suppliers.

Japan has long been known as a strong and profitable market for Swedish companies. Whilst it can initially put up some high barriers to entry, those who persevere usually find a comfortable niche where they can consistently show good margins.

With a concerning overall economic outlook in Germany, it is encouraging that among respondents in the 2023 Business Climate Survey, a rather positive picture of the business climate emerges. The bilateral trade volume between Germany and Sweden has, over the last 10 years, experienced a remarkable compound annual growth rate of 6.95 per cent.

With its vibrant economy and vast population, Mexico stands as a key player in the Latin American market and on the global stage. Its position as Latin America's second-largest market and the world's fifteenth-largest economy demonstrates its potential.

Last year's Team Sweden Business Climate Survey – conducted in March 2022 – was particularly influenced by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. This year's survey – conducted in March 2023 – paints a different picture in various ways, where several negative trends have been reversed.

In 2022, export volume from Sweden to Türkiye increased by 35 per cent compared to 2021 and amounted to 20.4 billion SEK, reaching an all-time high in the last 10 years. Despite Türkiye's sustained growth in the past decade, the global economic slowdown following the Covid-19 pandemic and recent macroeconomic policies have hindered its GDP growth.

2022 was the year when we experienced the toughest pandemic management ever seen in the market, which had a strong impact on companies and individuals. It was also the year when the zero-Covid policy was dropped overnight, and life rapidly went back to normal. The pandemic is now over, but world trade is still facing turbulence and uncertainty.

The 2022 Business Climate Survey has demonstrated the resilience of the Canadian market and highlighted a hopeful future for a wide variety of Swedish companies present in Canada. Canadian-Swedish trade relations grow stronger as the impact of Covid-19 subsides and investors look for stable, safe, and growing markets to continue to expand.

This year’s Business Climate Survey is the first product of the strengthened collaboration between Business Sweden and the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Taipei. The report highlights a positive business climate for Swedish companies in Taiwan and a strong investment outlook. In addition, the report showcases Taiwan’s stable market for Swedish companies to do business in.

The United Kingdom has many prominent industries, a thriving start-up scene and one of the most important financial hubs in the world, London. Thanks to low entry barriers and a large market size, there are a lot of opportunities in sectors where Swedish companies can fully leverage their strengths. Team Sweden in the UK have conducted the third edition of the Business Climate Survey among Swedish companies in the UK, whose findings are presented in this report.

Team Sweden has carried out the Business Climate Survey, calling on Swedish companies active in Thailand to report how they perceive economic and market conditions and comment on factors such as sustainability and innovation. Many companies state that they plan to increase their investments in Thailand in the near future. The Thai economy is recovering but not as fast as in the other ASEAN countries, casting a shadow of stagnation over Thailand.

Malaysia’s geographical location within the Indo-Pacific region, surrounded by fast-growing economies, along with its sustained track record of good rankings in ease-of-doing business, provides many promising business opportunities for the future. Overall Swedish companies are increasingly positively viewing the outlook and business opportunities in Malaysia.

Sweden and India work together in key strategic areas; with a growing emphasis on co-creating sustainable green and inclusive growth with innovation and creativity at the core. Welcome to the 2022 Business Climate Survey report highlighting Swedish companies’ experience of doing business in India and their perception of the local market conditions.

The first Swedish company to enter the Italian market did so in the early 1900s, but most of the Swedish subsidiaries were established in the 1990s when business interest from Sweden to Italy started to increase significantly. Italy is Sweden’s 12th largest trade partner with 2.5 per cent of the total exports destined to Italy.