2025-05-142024/25:AU10 · p.2AULabour market
Equality data
Equality data as a tool against discrimination
What's at stake: Equality data could provide better knowledge of discrimination and hate crime against different groups, but the method is controversial because it involves collecting and categorising sensitive personal data on, for example, ethnicity. The decision affects both how discrimination can be made visible and what kind of personal data the state collects on residents.
Case texts and AI reasoning are AI-translated from the Swedish originals; the Swedish text is authoritative.
What the vote decides
The question is whether the state should start collecting equality data - information on, for example, ethnicity or origin - as a method for mapping discrimination, or whether the current approach without such data collection should be maintained.
Yes Yes — the committee proposal
The committee rejects the motions on introducing equality data. It notes that the method is controversial and considers there is reason for a cautious approach to this type of data collection. Instead, the committee points to already ongoing knowledge-building efforts, including Brå's hate crime statistics and the Equality Ombudsman's annual reporting on the occurrence of discrimination, and considers no further initiative necessary.
No No — the reservations
Reservation 4 (V, MP)
The reservation (V, MP) calls for the government to investigate introducing voluntary, aggregated and anonymised equality data, and to examine which public bodies should use such data and introduce systematic follow-up. The reasoning is that hate crimes against vulnerable groups have increased and that better statistics on discrimination are needed to target efforts at the groups that are disproportionately affected.
Summarised from the committee report. Party labels in the summary come from the report, not from the vote.
What do the votes mean here?
Yes The committee proposal: rejecting the motions (keeping things as they are).
No Backing the counter-proposal: reservation 4 by V, MP.
Abstain The party marks a position of its own that is not one of the two final alternatives.
What each plan points to — and how the party voted
For each party: the vote its own election manifesto and party programme point to in this case, next to how the party actually voted. A plan can only point to Yes or No; a party can also abstain.
| Plan | Vote | Confidence | Evidence | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V | No | No 0/21/0/3 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
| S | No | Yes 92/0/1/13 | departs from the plan | confidence: low | not addressed |
| MP | No | No 0/15/0/3 | follows the plan | confidence: high | explicit |
| C | No | Yes 21/0/0/3 | departs from the plan | confidence: low | derived |
| L | Yes | Yes 14/0/0/2 | follows the plan | confidence: low | derived |
| KD | Yes | Yes 16/0/0/3 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
| M | Yes | Yes 60/0/0/8 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
| SD | Yes | Abstain 0/0/63/9 | departs from the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
Broke with the party line
| SBjörn Petersson (S, Kalmar län) | Abstain — party line: Yes |
MPs whose vote differs from their party's majority position in this division. Marked with a dark ring in the chamber view.
Committee proposal
Parliament rejects the motions 2024/25:1412 by Michael Rubbestad et al. (SD) motion 30, 2024/25:2618 by Rasmus Ling et al. (MP) motion 39 and 2024/25:2643 by Leila Ali Elmi et al. (MP) motion 11.
Original (Swedish)
Riksdagen avslår motionerna 2024/25:1412 av Michael Rubbestad m.fl. (SD) yrkande 30, 2024/25:2618 av Rasmus Ling m.fl. (MP) yrkande 39 och 2024/25:2643 av Leila Ali Elmi m.fl. (MP) yrkande 11.
Riksdag decision: Parliament said no to approximately 60 proposals in motions on gender equality and measures against discrimination. Parliament refers primarily to work that is already underway in the field. The proposals were submitted during the general motion period 2024 and concern among other things the goals and methods of gender equality policy, equality data, discrimination on various grounds, amendments to the Discrimination Act, and the work of the Discrimination Ombudsman.
Counter-proposals
- The counter-proposal wants to investigate introducing voluntary and anonymized equality data to combat discrimination. (V, MP) — Reservation 4
Plan vs actual vote
Every party, in chamber order: what its own plan pointed to, how it voted, and the reasoning behind both. Highlighted rows are where the two differ — but a vote that follows the plan is a result too, so the reasoning is there for every party.
The plan states that Sweden needs to build up and spread knowledge about how today's racist structures look, and that it requires specific knowledge about how different kinds of racism affect different groups.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan states that Sweden needs to build up and spread knowledge about how today's racist structures look, and that it requires specific knowledge about how different kinds of racism affect different groups. Investigating voluntary, aggregated and anonymized equality data is a means for precisely that knowledge-building and for systematic follow-up. The plan furthermore demands active work to prevent and stop discrimination.
Original (Swedish)
Planen slår fast att Sverige behöver bygga upp och sprida kunskap om hur dagens rasistiska strukturer ser ut, och att det krävs specifika kunskaper om hur olika sorters rasism drabbar olika grupper. Att utreda frivilliga, aggregerade och anonymiserade jämlikhetsdata är ett medel för just den kunskapsuppbyggnaden och för systematisk uppföljning. Planen kräver dessutom ett aktivt arbete för att förebygga och hindra diskriminering.
- knowledge about racist structuresdecisive»Sverige behöver överhuvudtaget bygga upp och sprida kunskap om« (party programme ↗)“Sweden needs to at all events build up and spread knowledge about”
- specific knowledge about different racisms»Därför behöver vi specifika historiska kunskaper om olika« (party programme ↗)“Therefore, we need specific historical knowledge about different”
- active work against discrimination»Det kräver ett aktivt arbete med att förebygga och« (party programme ↗)“It requires active work to prevent and”
- authorities' special responsibility»Myndigheter har ett särskilt ansvar att möta alla människor« (party programme ↗)“Authorities have a special responsibility to meet everyone”
The party programme's equality analysis rests explicitly on statistical relationships and on the observation that employment and wages vary with skin colour, ethnicity and religion – knowledge that presupposes data.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme's equality analysis rests explicitly on statistical relationships and on the observation that employment and wages vary with skin colour, ethnicity and religion – knowledge that presupposes data. As an anti-racist party, the party thus has reason to have voluntary, aggregated and anonymized equality data investigated. However, the plan does not take a position on the collection method as such, so the support is derived and uncertain.
Original (Swedish)
Partiprogrammets jämlikhetsanalys vilar uttryckligen på statistiska samband och på iakttagelsen att sysselsättning och löner varierar med hudfärg, etnicitet och religion – kunskap som förutsätter data. Som antirasistiskt parti har partiet därmed skäl att låta utreda frivilliga, aggregerade och anonymiserade jämlikhetsdata. Planen tar dock inte ställning till insamlingsmetoden som sådan, så stödet är härlett och osäkert.
- statistics as basis for equality policydecisive»Det syns i de statistiska sambanden.« (party programme ↗)“It shows in the statistical relationships.”
- mapped inequality by ethnicity»Vi ser idag att sysselsättningsnivå, lön och möjligheter på arbetsmarknaden varierar stort« (party programme ↗)“We see today that employment level, wages and opportunities on the labour market vary greatly”
- anti-racist party»Socialdemokraterna är ett antirasistiskt parti, som strävar« (party programme ↗)“The Social Democrats are an anti-racist party, which strives”
The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.
The plan explicitly commits to producing systematic statistics to highlight discrimination and racism in society, and states that structural discrimination and racism shall end.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan explicitly commits to producing systematic statistics to highlight discrimination and racism in society, and states that structural discrimination and racism shall end. Investigating voluntary, aggregated and anonymised equality data is precisely such knowledge-building. The plan's integrity principle is satisfied through the information being voluntary and anonymised.
Original (Swedish)
Planen åtar sig uttryckligen att ta fram systematisk statistik för att belysa diskriminering och rasism i samhället, och slår fast att strukturell diskriminering och rasism ska upphöra. Att utreda frivilliga, aggregerade och anonymiserade jämlikhetsdata är just en sådan kunskapsuppbyggnad. Planens integritetsprincip är tillgodosedd genom att uppgifterna ska vara frivilliga och anonymiserade.
- systematic discrimination statisticsdecisive»ta fram systematisk statistik för att belysa diskriminering och rasism i samhället.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“produce systematic statistics to highlight discrimination and racism in society.”
- structural racism shall end»Strukturell diskriminering och rasism ska upphöra.« (party programme ↗)“Structural discrimination and racism shall end.”
- strengthened protection against discrimination»stärka lagstiftningen mot diskriminering och se över rätten till rättshjälp i diskrimineringsfall.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“strengthen legislation against discrimination and review the right to legal aid in discrimination cases.”
- valued personal integrity»Vi vill värna människors rätt till integritet och« (party programme ↗)“We want to value people's right to privacy and”
The plan commits to doing more against discrimination and to strengthening public authorities' work against discrimination, and the party programme wants to combat structural racism in all its forms; better knowledge base is a means to that.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan commits to doing more against discrimination and to strengthening public authorities' work against discrimination, and the party programme wants to combat structural racism in all its forms; better knowledge base is a means to that. That data shall be voluntary, aggregated and anonymized dampens the objection that otherwise follows from the plan's requirement that all legislation be tested against its impact on personal integrity. The position is therefore uncertain but tilts towards support for an investigation.
Original (Swedish)
Planen åtar sig att mer ska göras mot diskriminering och att myndigheternas arbete mot diskriminering ska stärkas, och partiprogrammet vill motverka strukturell rasism i alla dess former; bättre kunskapsunderlag är ett medel för det. Att data ska vara frivilliga, aggregerade och anonymiserade dämpar den invändning som annars följer av planens krav på att all lagstiftning prövas mot påverkan på den personliga integriteten. Ställningstagandet är därför osäkert men lutar åt stöd för en utredning.
- more against discriminationdecisive»Mer måste göras mot diskriminering. Vi vill stärka myndigheternas arbete mot diskriminering och höja ersättningen till dem som utsatts, samt lägga till kön och funktionsnedsättning som hatbrottsgrunder.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“More must be done against discrimination. We want to strengthen public authorities' work against discrimination and raise compensation for those who have suffered discrimination, and add gender and disability as hate crime grounds.”
- combat structural racism»Diskriminering, strukturell rasism och intolerans, i alla dess former, ska motverkas.« (party programme ↗)“Discrimination, structural racism and intolerance, in all its forms, shall be combated.”
- integrity testing of legislationweak support»All lagstiftning bör prövas mot dess påverkan på människors personliga integritet.« (party programme ↗)“All legislation should be tested against its impact on people's personal integrity.”
- increased transparency»Sverige ska bli ännu mer transparent.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden shall become even more transparent.”
flags: citat_svagt
The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.
The plan's integrity line is restrictive: protection for the individual's integrity shall be strengthened, registration shall not be used for purposes other than the original ones and all new bills shall be analysed from an integrity perspective.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan's integrity line is restrictive: protection for the individual's integrity shall be strengthened, registration shall not be used for purposes other than the original ones and all new bills shall be analysed from an integrity perspective. Building up systematic collection of equality data about group membership goes against that stance, even in voluntary and anonymised form. The plan shares however the goal that racism and discrimination shall be fought with force, which makes the assessment uncertain.
Original (Swedish)
Planens integritetslinje är restriktiv: skyddet för den enskildes integritet ska stärkas, registrering får inte användas för andra syften än de ursprungliga och alla nya lagförslag ska analyseras ur integritetssynpunkt. Att bygga upp systematisk insamling av jämlikhetsdata om grupptillhörighet går emot den hållningen, även i frivillig och anonymiserad form. Planen delar däremot målet att rasism och diskriminering ska bekämpas med kraft, vilket gör avvägningen osäker.
- strengthened integrity protectiondecisive»Skyddet för den enskildes integritet ska stärkas.« (party programme ↗)“Protection for the individual's integrity shall be strengthened.”
- registration only for original purpose»Övervakning och registrering ska inte användas för andra syften än vad som var de ursprungliga« (party programme ↗)“Surveillance and registration shall not be used for purposes other than what were the original”
- integrity analysis of bills»Alla nya lagförslag ska analyseras ur integritetssynpunkt.« (party programme ↗)“All new bills shall be analysed from an integrity perspective.”
- fight racism and discrimination»Därför ska staten med kraft bekämpa all slags rasism, diskriminering och intolerans.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Therefore the state shall with force fight all forms of racism, discrimination and intolerance.”
The party programme requires that personal integrity have strong constitutional protection and that the public applies great caution in handling personal data and values the protected sphere each person should be guaranteed.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme requires that personal integrity have strong constitutional protection and that the public applies great caution in handling personal data and values the protected sphere each person should be guaranteed. Building up collection of equality data, even voluntary and aggregated, goes against that caution line. The plan instead sees the growing-up years and school as the most important work against discrimination.
Original (Swedish)
Partiprogrammet kräver att den personliga integriteten har ett starkt grundlagsskydd och att det offentliga tillämpar stor försiktighet vid hantering av personuppgifter samt värnar den fredade sfär varje person bör vara garanterad. Att bygga upp insamling av jämlikhetsdata, även frivillig och aggregerad, går emot den försiktighetslinjen. Planen ser i stället uppväxtåren och skolan som det viktigaste arbetet mot diskriminering.
- caution with personal datadecisive»grundlagsskydd och det offentliga måste tillämpa stor försiktighet och respekt för den personliga integriteten vid hantering av personuppgifter.« (party programme ↗)“constitutional protection and the public must apply great caution and respect for personal integrity when handling personal data.”
- protection of the protected sphere»Intrång i den fredade sfär som varje person bör vara garanterad innebär att den personliga integriteten kränks.« (party programme ↗)“Intrusions into the protected sphere that each person should be guaranteed means that personal integrity is violated.”
- discrimination countered in upbringing»Det viktigaste arbetet mot diskriminering görs emellertid under uppväxtåren.« (party programme ↗)“The most important work against discrimination is however done during the growing-up years.”
The plan explicitly rejects defining individuals by ethnic background, gender or sexuality and establishes that rights belong to individuals, not collectives, while personal integrity must be protected against intrusion.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan explicitly rejects defining individuals by ethnic background, gender or sexuality and establishes that rights belong to individuals, not collectives, while personal integrity must be protected against intrusion. Collecting equality data means the state registers and follows up people in groups in precisely the way the plan warns against. The plan therefore speaks against the counter-proposal's demand.
Original (Swedish)
Planen avvisar uttryckligen att individer förklaras utifrån etnisk bakgrund, kön eller läggning och slår fast att rättigheter tillhör individer, inte kollektiv, samtidigt som den personliga integriteten ska värnas mot intrång. Att samla in jämlikhetsdata innebär att staten registrerar och följer upp människor i grupper på just det sätt planen varnar för. Planen talar därför emot motförslagets krav.
- rejected identity politicsdecisive»Denna identitetspolitikens kollektivism strider mot« (party programme ↗)“This identity politics' collectivism conflicts with”
- personal integrity»Den personliga integriteten ska värnas, såväl från intrång« (party programme ↗)“Personal integrity must be protected, both against intrusion”
- judged by person not group»allas rätt att bli bedömda utifrån sin person« (party programme ↗)“everyone's right to be judged by their person”
- individual before collective»kommer alltid hävda individen mot kollektivismen« (party programme ↗)“will always defend the individual against collectivism”
The party programme states that collective characteristics such as skin colour and ethnicity are irrelevant to the party and that neither negative nor positive discrimination should occur.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme states that collective characteristics such as skin colour and ethnicity are irrelevant to the party and that neither negative nor positive discrimination should occur. Investigating the collection of equality data instead depends on categorizing citizens by such group memberships, and the plan also opposes authorities pursuing activist symbolic politics. The plan therefore speaks against the counter-proposal's demands.
Original (Swedish)
Partiprogrammet slår fast att kollektiva egenskaper som hudfärg och etnicitet är irrelevanta för partiet och att varken negativ eller positiv särbehandling ska förekomma. Att utreda insamling av jämlikhetsdata bygger tvärtom på att medborgare kategoriseras efter sådana grupptillhörigheter, och planen vänder sig dessutom mot myndigheter som driver aktivistisk symbolpolitik. Planen talar därför emot motförslagets krav.
- ethnicity is irrelevantdecisive»Kollektiva egenskaper som hudfärg och etnicitet« (party programme ↗)“Collective characteristics such as skin colour and ethnicity”
- no discrimination at all»Vare sig negativ eller positiv särbehandling på basis av kön, ålder, sexuell läggning« (party programme ↗)“Neither negative nor positive discrimination based on gender, age, sexual orientation”
- against activist agencies»anställning av personal på myndigheter som driver aktivistisk symbolpolitik« (2022 manifesto ↗)“employment of staff at agencies that pursue activist symbolic politics”
- scale back unnecessary expenses»Skala bort onödiga utgifter i det offentliga« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Scale back unnecessary expenses in the public sector”
The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.
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Sources and documents
- The committee report on riksdagen.se (2024/25:AU10)
- Committee report full text (HC01AU10)
- Per-MP voting data (API)
- Case status (API)
Documents under consideration
- Motion 2024/25:1260 — Översyn av strukturell diskriminering på arbetsmarknaden av Dzenan Cisija (S)
- Motion 2024/25:1310 — Tillgång till rättslig prövning för den som utsatts för diskriminering av Rasmus Ling m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2024/25:1395 — Jordbruk - ökad konkurrenskraft utan förlust av biologisk mångfald av Martin Kinnunen m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2024/25:1412 — Jämställdhet och diskriminering av Michael Rubbestad m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2024/25:1602 — Förbättrad situation för personer i behov av ledar- eller assistanshund av Rickard Nordin och Ulrika Heie (båda C)
- Motion 2024/25:1650 — Motverkande av diskriminering i Sverige av Lawen Redar (S)
- Motion 2024/25:1722 — Islamofobi och antisemitism av Jamal El-Haj (-)
- Motion 2024/25:1723 — Ett land i förändring av Jamal El-Haj (-)
- Motion 2024/25:1745 — Politik för minoriteter av Jan Riise m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2024/25:1747 — Politik för sverigefinländarna av Jan Riise m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2024/25:1754 — Politik för samer av Jan Riise m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2024/25:176 — Handlingsplan för hbtqi-personers lika rättigheter och möjligheter av Anna Wallentheim (S)
- Motion 2024/25:1775 — Utveckling av Diskrimineringsombudsmannens arbete av Leila Ali Elmi m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2024/25:1922 — En funktionsrättspolitik för trygghet och delaktighet av Nadja Awad m.fl. (V)
- Motion 2024/25:1929 — Rättsväsendet av Gudrun Nordborg m.fl. (V)
- Motion 2024/25:1935 — Åtgärder för de nationella minoriteterna och minoritetsspråken av Nooshi Dadgostar m.fl. (V)
- Motion 2024/25:204 — Nedläggning av Jämställdhetsmyndigheten av Josef Fransson (SD)
- Motion 2024/25:2618 — Åtgärder för att bekämpa mäns våld mot kvinnor av Rasmus Ling m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2024/25:2643 — En rättvis framtid: strategier för att bekämpa rasism och främja social rättvisa av Leila Ali Elmi m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2024/25:2951 — Familjerätt, socialtjänst, hbtqi-frågor och funktionsrätt av Martina Johansson m.fl. (C)
Source: The Swedish Parliament