Sweden registers 66% with a fixed doctor. Only 31% experience one
Swedish regions registered 66% of residents with a fixed doctor last year. Yet only 31% of patients said they experienced having one, exposing a wide gap between the records and continuity felt at the clinic.
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The follow-up from the National Board of Health and Welfare says registration rose from 62% in 2024 to 66% in 2025, based on replies from 16 of Sweden’s 21 regions. The 31% figure comes from a separate patient survey, so the measures are not identical.
The agency says the contrast shows that registration alone is not enough: patients also need to know who their fixed doctor is and experience continuity in practice.
Fourteen of 21 regions gave primary care a larger share of their budgets in 2025, up from nine a year earlier. Staffing shortages remain the biggest obstacle, while people with disabilities still face physical and communication barriers.
Almost all of a 3.7 billion SEK state grant was used. Regions spent 99.9% of their allocation and municipalities 91.6%, including on mobile teams, home care, fixed doctors and preventive work.
The full report says it is too early to judge the funding’s long-term effects. Some measures worsened, including avoidable hospital admissions and the wait for a medical assessment after telephone contact.
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