Worst in Europe? Swedish Housing Conditions in the First Half of the 20th century

Abstract

Prevailing narratives in the historical literature often paint a picture of Sweden having some of the poorest housing conditions in Europe during the early 20th century. This article challenges this widely accepted view by presenting a first-of-its-kind systematic and comparative study of European housing conditions, with a focus on Sweden. By constructing a new database and critically examining existing data, this study seeks to reassess the common assertions about Swedish housing standards. This study shows that there is no empirical evidence to support the notion that Sweden had among the worst housing conditions in Europe in this period.