Einar H. Dyvik
Research expert covering Nordics and global data for society, economy, and politics
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The winter months at the end of or beginning of the year tend to be those with the highest number of sick days per employee in Sweden. Over the observed time period, the first quarter of 2022 was the quarter with the highest number of average sick days. Female workers generally had more sick days than males during the past couple of years.
The sick leave system in Sweden
The number of sick days are defined as all civil days that an employee has been absent from work due to illness, without regard to if the person received sick pay or not. In Sweden, the first 14 days of being sick are paid by the employer. If the employee is sick for a longer period, the sick pay is handled by the health insurance, which is part of the social insurances.
Sick days per sector 
The number of sick days during 2021 was in general higher for employees working in the municipal sector than in the other sectors. In the last quarter of 2021, the municipal sector had on average 3.51 sick days per employee.
The sick leave system in Sweden
The number of sick days are defined as all civil days that an employee has been absent from work due to illness, without regard to if the person received sick pay or not. In Sweden, the first 14 days of being sick are paid by the employer. If the employee is sick for a longer period, the sick pay is handled by the health insurance, which is part of the social insurances.
Sick days per sector 
The number of sick days during 2021 was in general higher for employees working in the municipal sector than in the other sectors. In the last quarter of 2021, the municipal sector had on average 3.51 sick days per employee.
