According to municipal data and police reports, Eskilstuna in Sweden faces deepening socio-economic decline and political shifts, as former industrial cities grapple with high unemployment and concentrated immigration. Local resident Eva Olsson, 84, describes feeling like a stranger in her neighborhood of Fröslunda, where nearly three-quarters of the roughly 4,000 residents are of foreign origin, primarily from Somalia and Eritrea. Police classify Fröslunda as one of Sweden’s 65 vulnerable areas due to a jobless rate exceeding 25%, poverty risks affecting over half the population, and recent shootings that have amplified local insecurity.
Industrial Decline and Political Shift in Eskilstuna
Once a booming steel-producing powerhouse that drew thousands of Finnish workers in the late 1960s, Eskilstuna has struggled to recover from the mid-1970s industrial crisis. Today, the municipality of 106,000 inhabitants is the only Swedish municipality of more than 100,000 inhabitants that loses population—down 12% in the last five years—and holds the second-highest unemployment rate in the country behind Malmö.
This prolonged economic stagnation has eroded the historic dominance of the Social Democratic Party. While the party rozó el 60% of the votos in Eskilstuna during the 1968 parliamentary elections, it captured a smaller share in 2022, when Demócratas Suecos surged to 24.2% locally—their best result among the main cities of the country.
Working-Class Realignment and National Politics
Former national lawmaker Lars Linder, speaking from a local Social Democratic campaign booth, acknowledges that his party has not been capable of offering solutions to workers who have been unemployed for years. Meanwhile, according to Olle Folke, a professor of political science at Uppsala University, the Sweden Democrats have the largest proportion of workers among their positions.
National polling underscores this working-class migration. Data published in May by the national statistical institute shows that 36% of affiliates within Sweden’s main trade union confederation favors the Social Democrats, while 30% that inclines toward Demócratas Suecos.
Hardening Immigration Debates Ahead of Elections
National party leaders have adjusted their rhetoric in response to these voter trends. Sweden Democrats leader Jimmie Akesson campaigning in Eskilstuna stated an intention to spend zero crowns on integration and proposed that unadapted migrants return to their home countries. In response, Social Democratic leader Magdalena Andersson visited Fröslunda to emphasize the urgency of ending the concentration of foreign population in the suburbs.
This represents a broader political shift that began in 2015, when Sweden received 163,000 asylum applications, prompting the government of socialdemócrata Stefan Löfven to tighten asylum and family reunification rules. Alike, Alar Kuutmann, an affiliate of La Izquierda de casi medio siglo, argues that mainstream progressive attempts to mimic right-wing messaging on security and immigration risk alienating the traditional left base while failing to address deeper wealth inequalities highlighted by Oxfam, which reports that the 46 wealthiest citizens of the country possess more wealth than nearly eight million inhabitants together (75% of the population).
Did you know?
Eskilstuna is the only municipality in Sweden with a population over 100,000 that is currently losing inhabitants, according to official demographic data.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Fröslunda classified as a vulnerable area?
According to Swedish police classifications, Fröslunda suffers from high socio-economic precarity, an unemployment rate exceeding 25%, poverty affecting over half its residents, and criminal network influences compounded by recent shooting incidents.
How has voting behavior changed in Eskilstuna?
While the Social Democrats historically dominated the city—winning nearly 60% of the vote in 1968—the right-wing populist Sweden Democrats secured 24.2% of the local vote in 2022, reflecting broader discontent among working-class voters.
What is Sweden’s current political stance on immigration?
Following a record 163,000 asylum applications in 2015, successive Swedish governments across the political spectrum have tightened asylum requirements, reduced family reunification pathways, and increased pressure on integration policies.
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