Local Government in Sweden — Kommuner & Regioner

Three levels of public authority

Sweden has three levels of public authority. The state handles things that affect the whole country — defence, foreign affairs, the courts, police, taxes, and most social insurance. Regioner and kommuner handle nearly everything else, especially the services people use every day. This division is one of the most-asked themes on the medborgarskapsprovet.

Sweden has 290 kommuner (municipalities) and 21 regioner. The principle of kommunalt självstyre (local self-government) is enshrined in regeringsformen — kommuner and regioner make their own decisions and set their own taxes within the framework of national law.

What does a kommun do?

The kommun is the level of government closest to you. It is responsible for many of the services people use every week. Kommun responsibilities include:

• Preschool, primary school, and upper secondary school (förskola, grundskola, gymnasium).
• Elder care (äldreomsorg) — home care services and care homes.
• Social services (socialtjänsten) — including financial support (försörjningsstöd) and child protection.
• Water and waste — drinking water, sewage, household waste collection.
• Urban planning and building permits (bygglov).
• Local roads, parks, libraries, leisure centres, and culture.
• Civil emergency preparedness together with regional and national authorities.

What does a region do?

A region covers a larger geographic area (often a county). The biggest task is healthcare (hälso- och sjukvård), including hospitals, primary care (vårdcentraler), specialist care, and dental care for children. Regions are also responsible for:

• Public transport — buses, regional trains, tunnelbana in Stockholm.
• Regional development — economic growth, infrastructure, innovation.
• Cultural institutions like regional theatres and museums.

Elected councils — fullmäktige

Both kommuner and regioner are governed by directly elected councils:

• Kommunfullmäktige — the municipal council. It decides local rules, the budget, and how kommunal services are run.
• Regionfullmäktige — the regional council. It decides on regional matters, especially healthcare.

Both are elected on the same day as the Riksdag election — the second Sunday of September every four years. Importantly, EU citizens, Norwegian and Icelandic citizens, and other foreign nationals who have lived in Sweden for at least three years can vote in regional and municipal elections, even without Swedish citizenship.

Local taxes

Each kommun and region sets its own kommunalskatt (municipal tax). The total municipal income tax (kommun + region together) is typically around 30–35%, but the exact rate depends on where you live. The state also redistributes money between kommuner with different tax bases (kommunal utjämning) so that residents get similar service quality regardless of where they live.

Why local government matters for your daily life

If you have children, your kommun decides where they go to preschool. If you visit a vårdcentral, your region pays for it. If you call for elder care, you call the kommun. Local government quietly runs huge parts of daily life in Sweden — which is why the medborgarskapsprovet asks who is responsible for what.

The umbrella organisation for kommuner and regioner is Sveriges Kommuner och Regioner (SKR), which represents them and supports them with shared services and statistics.

What else is on the test?

Local Government is just one of 20 topic areas covered on the medborgarskapsprovet. The other 19 cover democracy, fundamental laws, history, healthcare, education, work, taxes, housing, geography, integration, and Swedish values. See the full topic list →