A review by SVT Nyheter Uppsala shows that more children are growing up with opposite conditions. Between 2017 and 2024, the proportion of children and young people (0 to 18 years) decreased in middle areas, to increase in the weakest and strongest areas. Uppsala municipality is divided into 132 residential areas that are ranked based on socio-economic conditions from unemployment, income, education, and ill-health.
In areas with the lowest grade, unemployment is high and incomes are low, and the proportion with post-secondary education is smaller. At the other end, there are areas where the conditions are the opposite. 5 times higher than in the most vulnerable areas.
We know that inequality is bad for all of us.
In the lowest-ranked areas, over half of the children live in households with low economic standard, compared to only 2 percent in the highest-ranked areas. Among children of primary school age, the development in the two opposite poles is even more pronounced, with the group growing most in the lowest and highest ranked areas, while decreasing in areas in the middle of the scale. According to SVT Nyheter, Erik Pelling, chairman of the municipal board, described inequality as bad for all.
It remains unclear what specific policies Uppsala municipality is considering to address this growing inequality or how this trend compares to other Swedish regions. The underlying causes driving the increase in children in the weakest and strongest areas, such as migration patterns or birth rates, have not been detailed.