The OECD Integrity Review of Sweden comes at an important time. Despite being perceived as among the least corrupt countries in the world, growing concern about the power and influence of organised crime groups has led the Swedish Government to reassess Sweden’s public integrity framework and to embark on an important programme of reform. Funded by Sweden’s Ministry of Finance, this Review aims to contribute to Swedish reform efforts by offering fresh insights into Sweden’s corruption risks and challenges along with tailored, practical and evidence-based solutions for addressing them.
The Review assesses Sweden’s integrity framework against the OECD’s standards for public integrity, and draws on the OECD Public Integrity Indicators, the latest reports and analysis from within and outside the Swedish government, and a series of interviews with key internal and external stakeholders. Its findings and recommendations align with the priority areas of Sweden’s Action Plan Against Corruption and Unauthorised Influence 2024-2027. It therefore explores Sweden’s integrity strategy, corruption offences, the management of external influence, its culture of integrity, subnational anti-corruption mechanisms, and public procurement processes. Importantly, the Review focuses throughout on the influence of organised crime, which the Swedish Prime Minister has cited as a ‘systemic threat to Swedish society’ and which is among the key drivers of corruption in Sweden’s public sector.
Sweden is an active Member of the OECD Working Party on Public Integrity and Anti-Corruption (PIAC) and the Leading Practitioners on Public Procurement Working Party (LPP). Through this Review, Sweden has reaffirmed its commitment to upholding integrity at all levels of its public sector, and to ensuring its citizens continue to enjoy effective and efficient public services, a prosperous economy, and a dignified society for years to come.
Chapters 1-6 of this Review were drafted by the Anti‑Corruption and Integrity in Government Division and Chapter 7 was drafted by the Infrastructure and Public Procurement Division, both in the OECD’s Public Governance Directorate.