Fridhammar A, Haggren I, Galavazi M, Dahlgren J, Steen Carlsson K

Samhällsekonomiska kostnader för övervikt och obesitas i Sverige

The report is written in Swedish with a summary in English

Economic burden associated with overweight and obesity in Sweden

What is the report about?

The report estimates the economic burden associated with overweight and obesity in children, adolescents and adults in Sweden in 2023, and makes projections of future costs in 2030 and 2040. Estimates of future costs are based on the current situation and three different scenarios for public health which may be affected by the implementation of treatment guidelines and other developments in society.

How was the report produced?

The calculations included so-called ”direct costs” for healthcare, social care and drugs and “indirect costs” due to productivity losses resulting from reduced or lost work output due to unemployment, illness or premature mortality, and costs for informal care.
The analysis included both costs for healthcare with obesity as primary diagnosis and for obesity-related diseases. The report uses a well-established method to estimate the fraction of the costs of obesity-related diseases that can be attributed to overweight and obesity. The methodology is based on increased risks for obesity-related diseases reported in clinical and epidemiological studies. The estimates are also based on statistics on the prevalence of overweight and obesity from the Public Health Agency of Sweden. These prevalence estimates correspond to approximately 270 000 children with overweight and 97 000 children with obesity, and 3 million adults with overweight and 1.5 million adults with obesity.

What does the report show?

The report shows that the economic burden associated with overweight and obesity was SEK 80.4 billion in 2023, of which SEK 29.6 billion were associated with overweight and SEK 50.8 billion with obesity. In a scenario analysis that also included productivity losses due to mental illness, the economic burden associated with overweight and obesity was estimated at SEK 91.8 billion.

Most of the economic burden was due to lost production (SEK 57.2 billion, 71 percent). Healthcare costs totaled a further SEK 16.8 billion (21 percent). The cost of drugs (SEK 3.1 billion), informal care (SEK 1.9 billion) and social care (SEK 1.4 billion) together accounted for 8 percent of the economic burden associated with overweight and obesity.

If obesity continues to increase with the same trend as in the previous decade, the future economic burden associated with overweight and obesity would increase to SEK 88.1 billion in 2030 and SEK 98.7 billion in 2040. If the prevalence of overweight and obesity would remain unchanged, the future economic burden would stop at SEK 81.5 billion in 2030 and SEK 83.1 billion in 2040 instead. If the trend could be reversed and the prevalence of obesity would decrease by one percentage unit, the future economic burden would be SEK 79.5 billion in 2030 and SEK 81 billion in 2040.

IHE RAPPORT 2025:7, IHE: Lund, Sweden