Sweden: physical activity policy snapshot

This snapshot presents strengths and weaknesses of national physical activity policy actions in Sweden. Compare Sweden with other European countries in our MOVING policy index.

> Read the MOVING snapshot for Sweden in English or Swedish

Sweden implements policy actions in all 6 policy areas of the MOVING framework. The highest assessment received was moderate, for physical activity promotion in the workplace (O). Three other policy areas received a fair assessment: promote physical activity in schools, community and recreation (M), structures and surroundings which promote physical activity (V) and public communication which builds behaviour change skills (N).

Within policy areas, gaps were identified in promoting physical activity outside of school hours or through community and mass participation initiatives, as well as financial incentives to promote physical activity. These could affect otherwise well-designed actions on physical activity in schools, including outside school hours (M). Further, there were mixed results with regards to actions at national level aimed at ensuring the built environment promotes physical activity, including by design guidelines for buildings or active design guidelines for open/green spaces (V), alongside road safety actions, or policies to support public and active transport (I). Further, policy actions on physical activity prescription at national level was not supported by physical activity promotion in outpatient settings or training in physical activity promotion for healthcare professionals (G).

Much more needs to be done to improve the overall assessment of physical activity policies as no policy area received a good assessment. Attention should be given to policy areas where a poor assessment was achieved, such as transport infrastructure to promote active societies (I) and training on physical activity within healthcare (G).

Download a full analysis and breakdown of Sweden’s results (pdf, English)

This country snapshot presents detailed results of the MOVING policy index for Sweden. Full index results are outlined in the MOVING policy brief (pdf), which compares Sweden with other European countries and explains the methods for producing this snapshot and the index.

The index assesses if national government policy actions exist across all areas of the MOVING framework and, if so, how well designed they are. We produced this assessment by benchmarking policies from Sweden, collected through a comprehensive scan. You can view all benchmarked policies in our MOVING database.

Overview of physical activity policy status in Sweden

Sweden MOVING overview

NOURISHING country snapshots

We also have snapshots of nutrition policies in 30 European countries. Visit the Sweden page or see all the country snapshots.

Get in touch

The policy landscape in any country evolves over time. These findings reflect our knowledge as of May 2023. To provide feedback or suggest updates, please get in touch.

Fill in our feedback form or email the team policy@wcrf.org