Social Democrats

The Social Democrats were founded in 1889 at a congress in Stockholm, out of the labour movement. The party sat in government for the first time in 1917, and Hjalmar Branting formed the first Social Democratic government in 1920. From 1932 the party governed for 44 years in a row, with a short interruption in 1936, with Per Albin Hansson, Tage Erlander and Olof Palme as prime ministers. During that time the Swedish welfare state was built out.

The party returned to power in 1982 and then governed 1982 to 1991, 1994 to 2006 and 2014 to 2022, with the prime ministers Palme, Ingvar Carlsson, Göran Persson, Stefan Löfven and Magdalena Andersson, who became Sweden's first female prime minister in 2021. The party has been the largest party in every Riksdag election since 1973, but its share has fallen from 45.6 percent in 1982 to around 30 percent. The congress in 2025 adopted a new party programme.

The party programme from 2025 describes democratic socialism with the concepts of freedom, equality and solidarity, and writes that "equality a precondition for freedom". On the economy, the programme says that "Full employment is the overarching goal of Social Democratic economic policy."

The 2026 election platform is called "Dags att ta Sverige på allvar". There the party writes that "Sweden is to become richer" and that "Hard work should pay off." On schools, the platform says that "All schools are to focus on pupils' knowledge and development, not on chasing profit." and on elderly care that "It should be secure to grow old in Sweden."

The Social Democrats want to introduce a temporary tax on the part of the big banks' net interest income that exceeds the historical average and return the money to households and welfare. In the budget motion for 2026 the party estimates the tax at 12.6 billion kronor. The party supports the government's earned income tax credit for incomes up to 66,750 kronor a month but wants to reintroduce the phase-out for higher incomes. It also wants to introduce a third tax level for large holdings in investment savings accounts and says no to a property tax.

The party wants to raise the child allowance by 200 kronor per child and month and temporarily lower the VAT on food to 6 percent. A programme against waste of tax money, including a ban on profits in schools and measures against criminal economy, is according to the party to free up 75 to 95 billion kronor a year over two terms of office. Financing according to the budget motion for 2026: 32.4 billion kronor more in revenue than the government's proposal, against 27.2 billion kronor more in spending.

The Social Democrats want to remove the sick-pay qualifying deduction and introduce a high-cost protection for sick pay in small and medium-sized companies, for 500 million kronor. The party wants to raise the ceiling in unemployment insurance and remove the steeper phase-down. Young unemployed people are to get a job contract with work, education or a traineeship within 90 days. The party wants to multiply the number of labour market training places in shortage occupations and reintroduce extra jobs. Those who receive social assistance are to follow assigned measures in a "job ladder", and the Public Employment Service is to be present in more places. The party also wants to introduce a needs-tested pension for those who cannot work until retirement age.

The Social Democrats want to introduce a Swedish mafia law and let the state take criminals' property and use it in vulnerable areas. The Swedish Economic Crime Authority is to become an authority against organised crime. The party wants to abolish the sentence discount for multiple crimes, starting with sexual offences, and tighten the penalties for recruiting children to crime, for serious economic crimes and for gross violation of a woman's integrity. The supervision period after prison for men who have committed violence against women and children is to be doubled.

The party also wants to put more resources into preventing crime, with a national programme for families at risk and 1.7 billion kronor for social services in the budget motion. Against crime in working life the party proposes 10,000 more workplace inspections a year and at most two tiers of subcontractors in vulnerable sectors.

The Social Democrats say that the strict migration policy is to remain, in line with the EU's minimum levels, and want to increase returns for those who have been refused. The party says no to deportations of children and young people who have put down roots in Sweden and to revoking permanent residence permits already granted. Labour immigration is to be tested against the labour market's needs again, designed together with the social partners. The party wants to reform Swedish for immigrants (SFI), set requirements for knowledge of Swedish and civics for a permanent residence permit and language requirements for staff in preschool and elderly care. Asylum seekers' own accommodation is to be abolished and replaced by state accommodation.

The Social Democrats want an energy agreement across the bloc divide for more electricity from all fossil-free forms of power, both nuclear power and offshore wind power. Municipalities that build onshore wind power are to get stronger compensation, and the budget motion sets aside 100 million kronor for a bonus for fast wind power decisions. The party wants to reintroduce green credits for industry, expand the Industrial Leap (Industriklivet) and the Climate Leap (Klimatklivet) and broaden support for electric cars. Electricity grid fees are to be regulated anew and the state to take greater control of the congestion revenues. Young people are to be able to travel free of charge on public transport in the evenings, at weekends and during holidays, for 750 million kronor.

The Social Democrats want 80 percent of the population to have a regular doctor contact as a first step. The party wants a national digital doctor service in 1177 without a profit motive and national care contracts with the regions against the queues, and the budget motion sets aside 2.4 billion kronor for staff against care queues. People with private insurance are not to get priority with care providers that receive public money. In elderly care the party wants an elderly care act and a dignity guarantee and to abolish minute-by-minute control. Dental care is to be free of charge again for ages 19 to 23, for 576 million kronor, and medicines are to become cheaper, for 2.2 billion.

The Social Democrats want to ban profits in school and preschool and stop new profit-making operators. There is to be a joint school choice without separate queues for independent schools, and no new religious independent schools. The party wants to introduce binding rules of at most 12 pupils per teacher in the lower years and finance it with money that today goes to the independent school groups. The party wants to ban mobile phones in school and introduce daily reading for younger children. In the budget motion the party sets aside 3.7 billion kronor for schools, which according to the party corresponds to around 5,500 teachers.