Svenska (Lätt svenska) – sammanfattning: (English version below)

Sverige gav mindre än 100 medborgarskap i juli – första hela månaden med nya reglerna

I juli 2026 – första hela månaden efter att de nya, strängare medborgarskapsreglerna trädde i kraft den 6 juni – godkändes färre än 100 ansökningar om svenskt medborgarskap.

Den kraftiga nedgången beror på att lagen inte har några övergångsregler. Det betyder att alla ansökningar som ännu inte var klara den 6 juni bedöms enligt de nya, hårdare kraven – längre boendetid, krav på godkänt prov i svenska och samhällskunskap, samt högre inkomstkrav.

Siffrorna:

• Endast 99 personer fick svenskt medborgarskap i juli. Jämför med 1 646 i juni och 3 970 i maj.

• Bara 20 av dessa var vanliga naturalisationsärenden – annars den vanligaste vägen till medborgarskap.

• 64 fick medborgarskap via anmälan (notification) – en enklare väg som numera bara gäller nordiska medborgare och statslösa personer födda i Sverige.

• 9 personer fick behålla sitt medborgarskap, och 6 fick det bekräftat.

Vilka fick medborgarskap? Mest nordiska medborgare: Finland (26), Danmark (19) och Norge (19). Endast enstaka personer från andra länder, bland annat Syrien (5), Eritrea (3) och Storbritannien (3). Ingen person från något annat land fick medborgarskap i juli.

Migrationsverket uppmanar till försiktighet när man tolkar siffrorna – myndigheten väntar just nu på resultatet av det första medborgarskapsprovet, och prioriterar under tiden mest ärenden som slutar med avslag.

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English version:

Sweden Grants Fewer Than 100 New Citizenships in First Full Month Under New Rules

July 2026 — the first full month after Sweden's stricter citizenship rules took effect on 6 June — saw the number of approved citizenship applications collapse to fewer than 100.

The sharp decline stems from the fact that the new law came with no transitional provisions (övergångsregler). This means the hundreds of thousands of applications still sitting in the backlog when the law changed are now assessed under standards that didn't even exist when they were originally submitted — including longer residency requirements, mandatory Swedish language and civics tests, and income requirements.

Record-low approval numbers: According to the latest figures from the Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket):

• Only 99 people were granted Swedish citizenship in July — down from 1,646 in June and 3,970 in May. (Note: the agency's spreadsheet shows 99, while its website states 98 — a minor discrepancy in the official figures.)

• Just 20 of these were standard naturalisation cases — historically the most common route to citizenship, now accounting for only a fraction of grants.

• 64 cases went through the simplified notification route, now limited to Nordic citizens, stateless children, and young adults born in Sweden.

• 9 people retained their citizenship (e.g., Swedes born abroad), and 6 received formal citizenship confirmation.

Who received citizenship: The large majority went to Nordic citizens — Finland (26), Denmark (19), and Norway (19). Only a handful of grants went to other nationalities: Syria (5), Eritrea (3), the UK (3), Afghanistan (2), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2), and Iraq (2), with single grants to citizens of Australia, Bangladesh, the Dominican Republic, Nigeria, Somalia, and Sri Lanka. Ten grants went to applicants whose citizenship was listed as "unknown," and two to stateless applicants. No citizenships were granted to nationals of any other country in July.

For context, this is a sharp contrast from previous years — Sweden previously had the highest naturalisation rate in the EU, and Syrian nationals alone received over 100,000 Swedish citizenships between 2015 and 2021.

Migrationsverket has urged caution in interpreting these figures, noting that it is currently awaiting results from the first civics test, held on 15 August, and in the meantime is mainly deciding cases that end in refusal.

Sources:

• The Local Sweden – "Sweden grants fewer than 100 new citizenships the month after new rules come into force" (17 August 2026) – https://www.thelocal.se/20260817/sweden-grants-fewer-than-100-new-citizenships-the-month-after-new-rules-come-into-force

• The Local Sweden – "Inside Sweden: The thing I love most about election time in Sweden" (22 August 2026) – https://www.thelocal.se/20260822/inside-sweden-the-thing-i-love-most-about-election-time-in-sweden/

• Brussels Signal – "Sweden grants only 98 citizenships in July, most of them Nordic, as tougher rules take effect" – https://brusselssignal.eu/2026/08/sweden-grants-only-98-citizenships-in-july-most-of-them-nordic-as-tougher-rules-take-effect/