The GDP indicator gives an early picture of how the Swedish economy is developing. During January and February 2022, the GDP indicator fell slightly, but it has since risen after that.
Historically, we see that the development was relatively restrained during 2011-2013. During that time period, several countries in Europe underwent a debt crisis in the wake of the financial crisis. Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Spain and Greece had difficulty getting their government finances together, which paved the way for a recession that also affected Sweden. After 2013, the development has been stronger, but the curve turned sharply downwards after the Corona pandemic in 2020. As restrictions were lifted, the indicator turned up and showed a more positive development. The beginning of 2022 may have been affected by the reintroduced restrictions at the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022.
The actual outcome for GDP is published on a quarterly basis approximately one month after the end of the quarter. The GDP indicator provides faster information but at the same time does not contain as detailed statistics as the quarterly publication. For example, the indicator lacks information on how different industries have developed. The indicator’s development is often in line with the production value index, PVI, where data for individual industries is available.