List: Here the car density is the highest in the country

Where in the country are there the most cars and how much does the car density actually differ between Swedish municipalities? We decided to find out how things are with the help of figures from Statistics Sweden (SCB). The results were both expected and unexpected!

When you are sitting in a traffic jam in one of Sweden's larger cities, it is easy to imagine that the car density is highest in the metropolitan municipalities. But the truth is that the high population density in the major cities makes the car density lower. The municipalities with the highest number of cars per thousand inhabitants are found in the northern parts of the country.

Dalarna: most cars per inhabitant

The highest car density is somewhat unexpectedly found in Dalarna County. In Malung-Sälen municipality, the car density is highest with 693 cars per thousand inhabitants. Älvdalen is close behind (686) and then Rättvik (661). But it doesn't end there. According to our analysis, six of Sweden's ten most car-dense municipalities are in Dalarna. It is perhaps no coincidence that Rättvik hosts Sweden's largest car event every year – Classic Car Week.

Lots of cars but low car density in big cities

Unsurprisingly, the largest number of cars is found in the metropolitan municipalities. Stockholm Municipality tops with 359,855 cars, followed by Gothenburg (197,598) and Malmö (125,459). However, the large population of the metropolitan cities means that the car density is lower. In Sundbyberg Municipality, just north of Stockholm, there are only 318 cars per thousand inhabitants – the lowest in all of Sweden. Botkyrka Municipality (327) and Gothenburg Municipality (337) are second on the list of the municipalities with the least car density. The metropolitan municipalities of Malmö (357) and Stockholm (362) are in fifth and sixth place respectively.

Without the car, Norrland comes to a standstill

To the north, the car density is significantly higher than in the country's three largest cities. And perhaps that's not so surprising. When the supply of public transport is limited, the car becomes the main means of transport. In addition to Dalarna's car-dense municipalities, several northern municipalities also qualify for the list. Already in fourth place we find Härjedalen with 658 cars per thousand inhabitants. A little further down is Överkalix (648) in sixth place and Arjeplog (645) in seventh. At the same time, the total number of cars in the municipalities is among the lowest in the entire country. In Överkalix there are only 2,113 cars and in Arjeplog 1,746 cars.

Highest car density: Number of cars/thousand inhabitants

1. Malung-Sälen 693

2. Alvdalen 686

3. Rattvik 661

4. Harjedalen 658

5. Gagnef 651

6. Upper calyx 648

7. Arjeplog 645

8. Ragunda 644

9. Mora 642

10. Cause 636