Swedish Economy Remains Stagnant, Trade Surplus Grows

(RTTNews) - Sweden's economy stalled in the first quarter of 2025, while the trade surplus rose notably in March from a year ago as exports grew faster than imports, separate reports from Statistics Sweden showed on Tuesday.

Gross domestic product remained flat in the first quarter compared to a 0.8 percent growth in the fourth quarter of 2024, flash data said.

On a yearly basis, GDP advanced at a slower pace of 1.1 percent versus a 1.9 percent growth in the final quarter of 2024.

On a monthly basis, GDP recovered 0.6 percent, following a 0.7 percent decrease in February. The annual economic growth improved to 1.3 percent in March from 0.1 percent a month ago.

The trade surplus of the country rose to SEK 12.8 billion in March from SEK 6.2 billion in the corresponding month last year. Exports climbed 5.0 percent annually, and imports were 1.0 percent higher.

Another piece of official information showed that the annual retail sales growth accelerated to 3.6 percent in March from 2.7 percent in February. Retail sales in durables rose by 5.7 percent, and those in consumables increased by 1.4 percent. Monthly, sales demand grew by 0.3 percent.