The people of Helsingborg
We are growing at record speed
At the end of 2018, the total population of Helsingborg is approximately 145,000 people. That makes Helsingborg the 8th biggest city in Sweden and one of Greater Copenhagen’s most rapidly growing cities, with a growth of 15 % in 10 years. The combination of dynamic business, high quality of life, attractive residential environments, rich culture and a university attracts new people to the city.
Primarily, it is the younger generations that choose to move to Helsingborg, with a strong influx of people in the 20-29 age range. The two most dominant age groups moving to Helsingborg are the 20-29 and the 40-49 age ranges. The average person living in Helsingborg today is either a 42 year old female or a 40 year old male.
In relation to the development of the population, there is steady growth in the number of people in the municipality who are employed. Employment has grown more rapidly than the population since the beginning of the 21st century, and this trend has only accelerated in the last few years. In total, the working population has grown by 28 % between 2000-2016 while the working age population has grown by a much smaller 19 %. This employment statistic does not include the approximate 1150 people who live in Helsingborg but work in Denmark instead. With them factored in, the statistic would look even more favourable.
Lund University, Campus in Helsingborg is an important cornerstone in the development of the level of education in Helsingborg and the surrounding region. When the campus opened in 2000, about 29 % of the population of Helsingborg had a post-gymnasium education and today that number is up to 41 %. This increase is also largely due to an expansion in the number of academic institutions in the area, higher transition rates in young people pursuing further education, older people leaving working life to pursue an education and simply that more jobs demand a post-gymnasium education now.