Hjalte F, Carlsson H, Gralén K

Samhällets kostnader för sjukdomar år 2023

The report is written in Swedish with a summary in English

New IHE Report on societal costs of diseases in Sweden 2023

Cost-of-illness (COI) studies are important to better understand the burden of diseases and the links between disease, health, health care consumption and production, and can also inform discussions on investments in research and treatment for different diseases.

This study calculates the total societal cost (direct and indirect) of diseases in Sweden in 2023 by disease group according to the International Classification of Diseases 10 (ICD-10). The study is based on the same methodology as a previous study (IHE Rapport 2019:6) that estimated the costs for 2017, and this report therefore also includes reflections on how costs have changed.

The total cost of diseases was estimated to SEK 785 billion in 2023, of which direct costs accounted for around 55 percent, SEK 435 billion, and indirect costs for around 45 percent, or SEK 350 billion.

Nearly half of the direct costs consisted of cost for outpatient care, slightly more than 30 percent consisted of costs for inpatient care and around 20 percent consisted of the cost of medical goods provided to outpatients.

Total indirect costs amounted to around SEK 350 billion for 2023, of which around 40 percent consisted of costs resulting from short-term sick leave, 36 percent from long-term sick leave, and 24 percent from premature death.

Compared to the societal costs in 2017, this study shows a lower total cost in 2023 (converted to 2023 price level). Direct costs (outpatient care, inpatient care and medical goods) have increased over time (from SEK 405 billion in 2017 to SEK 435 billion in 2023), which may be partly due to population growth and a changing age structure, but also to increased healthcare costs. In contrast, indirect costs were lower in 2023 than in 2017, mainly driven by a reduction in long-term production loss and production loss due to premature death.

The disease group that accounted for the largest share of total costs (direct plus indirect) in 2023 was mental disorders, which accounted for around 25 percent in total. Tumors and musculoskeletal diseases accounted for the second and third largest share at about 9 percent, each. Mental disorders also accounted for the largest share of costs in 2017 but then followed by diseases of the musculoskeletal system as the second largest, and diseases of the circulatory system as the third largest.

The availability of data to conduct cost-of-illness studies is decisive. Data availability in Sweden health care costs and production losses is good, but for pharmaceutical data there is currently a lack of data of the associated diagnosis/reason for prescription. Therefore, if and when pharmaceutical data by reason for prescription is available, it would be of great value to policy makers, stakeholder organizations and pharmaceutical companies to conduct this study with new data.

For more information please contact Frida Hjalte

IHE RAPPORT 2025:9, IHE: Lund, Sweden