Demographic Trends in Sweden's Transgender Population (1973–2020)

28 Pages Posted: 4 May 2023

See all articles by Martin Kolk

Martin Kolk

Demography Unit, Department of Sociology

J. Lucas Tilley

Stockholm University - Swedish Institute for Social Research (SOFI)

Emma von Essen

Uppsala University; Stockholm University

Ylva Moberg

Swedish Institute for Social Research (SOFI)

Ian Burn

University of Liverpool

Date Written: April 24, 2023

Abstract

Our study examines the prevalence of gender transitions in Sweden over time and documents the sociodemographic characteristics of people transitioning in different periods. We use population-wide register data from 1973 to 2020 of the transgender population and identify two common events in a gender transition: the earliest diagnosis of gender incongruence and the change of legal gender. We have three main findings. First, the measured prevalence of both types of events is quite low in all periods, although it has increased substantially since the early 2010s. Second, the recent increase in transition prevalence is most pronounced among people in early adulthood; in particular, young transgender men drive an increase in overall rates through 2018, followed by a moderate decline in 2019 and 2020. Third, both transgender men and women fare worse socioeconomically than cisgender men and women, regardless of the age at which they transition or the year.

Suggested Citation

Kolk, Martin and Tilley, J. Lucas and von Essen, Emma and Moberg, Ylva and Burn, Ian, Demographic Trends in Sweden's Transgender Population (1973–2020) (April 24, 2023). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4427508 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4427508

Martin Kolk

Demography Unit, Department of Sociology ( email )

Universitetsvägen 10
Stockholm, Stockholm SE-106 91
Sweden

J. Lucas Tilley

Stockholm University - Swedish Institute for Social Research (SOFI) ( email )

Kyrkgatan 43B
SE-106 91 Stockholm
Sweden

Emma Von Essen (Contact Author)

Uppsala University ( email )

Uppsala, SE-751 26
Sweden

Stockholm University ( email )

Kyrkgatan 43B
SE-106 91 Stockholm
Sweden

Ylva Moberg

Swedish Institute for Social Research (SOFI) ( email )

Kyrkgatan 43B
SE-106 91 Stockholm
Sweden

Ian Burn

University of Liverpool ( email )

Chatham Street
Brownlow Hill
Liverpool, L69 7ZA
United Kingdom

Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?

Paper statistics

Downloads
100
Abstract Views
297
Rank
420,530
PlumX Metrics