Foreign Ownership Boosts Swedish Economy with Productivity Growth

Foreign acquisitions of Swedish companies do not have to be negative, on the contrary. Although only eight percent of the country's companies are foreign-owned, these account for 40 percent of productivity growth in Swedish business, according to a report from the Expert Group for Studies in Public Economics.

"Foreign acquisitions are generally beneficial to the Swedish economy. They contribute to increased productivity, greater international integration, competence development and growth in Swedish business," says Fredrik Heyman, lecturer in economics and co-author of the report, in a press release.

The number of annual foreign acquisitions has varied between 200 and 500 in the last two decades. The most common countries of acquisition are Norway, Denmark, USA and the United Kingdom, according to the report.