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Surplus for Swedish central government in August 2026
Press release 7 September 2026
Swedish central government payments resulted in a surplus of SEK 61.9 billion in August. The Debt Office’s forecast was a surplus of SEK 26.6 billion. The difference is mainly due to lower net lending to government agencies etc.
7 September 2026: A correction has been added to the lead paragraph.
The primary balance was SEK 2.9 billion lower than forecast. Tax incomes were approximately SEK 6 billion lower than calculated.
The Debt Office's net lending to government agencies and others was SEK 38.3 billion lower than forecast. The difference is largely due to a payment to the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV). The payment relates to financing for 16 Gripen E fighter aircraft to Ukraine, where deliveries to FMV are planned to take place in 2029–2030. In addition, deposits from the Swedish Pensions Agency and Svenska Kraftnät, among others, were higher than expected, while the disbursement of the EU contribution was lower than calculated.
Interest payments on central government debt were SEK 0.1 billion higher than forecast.
For the twelve-month period up to the end of August 2026, central government payments resulted in a deficit of SEK 109.2 billion.
Central government debt amounted to SEK 1,250 billion at the end of August.
The outcome for September 2026 will be published on 7 October, 2026 at 8.00 a.m.
The date for publishing a new forecast on the Swedish economy and central government borrowing is 26 November 2026.
| Outcome | Forecast | Dev. | Acc. Dev. [2] | Outcome 12-month | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget balance | 61 935 | 26 619 | 35 316 | 13 784 | -109 219 |
| Net borrowing requirement | -61 935 | -26 619 | -35 316 | -13 784 | 109 219 |
| Primary balance [3] | -20 908 | -23 803 | 2 895 | 34 689 | 121 191 |
| Net lending to agencies etc. [4] | -42 254 | -3 925 | -38 329 | -47 144 | -39 679 |
| Interest payments on central government debt | 1 227 | 1 110 | 117 | -1 328 | 27 707 |
| - Interest on loans in SEK | 1 236 | 1 049 | 187 | 279 | 32 138 |
| - Interest on loans in foreign currency | -71 | 61 | -132 | -349 | -849 |
| - Realised currency gains and losses | 62 | 0 | 62 | -1 259 | -3 582 |
| [1] The net borrowing requirement corresponds to the budget balance with the opposite sign. | |||||
| [2] Sum of monthly forecast deviations since last forecast. | |||||
| [3] Net of the state's primary expenditure and income. | |||||
| [4] The net of government agencies etc. deposits and loans in the state’s internal bank. The net lending includes both current government operations and temporary occurrences that can be decided on short notice. The net lending affects the net borrowing requirement and central government debt, but is not covered by the Central government expenditure ceiling. | |||||
Report: Sweden’s Central Government Debt August 2026
Official statistics on the central government net borrowing requirement and government debt
The monthly outcome of the central government net borrowing requirement is included in the official statistics of Sweden.
The Debt Office published its latest forecast on the Swedish economy and central government borrowing on 28 May 2026: Central Government Borrowing - Forecast and Analysis 2026:1.
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