News archive
The most recent published news is displayed here, as far back as six months. You can always find all reports under Audits in the menu.
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Dental care subsidy eroded by rising prices
The central government allocates about SEK 8 billion annually to the dental care subsidy scheme. The Swedish National Audit Office’s audit shows that ...
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Unnecessarily complicated processes for Swedish humanitarian aid
Allocation of humanitarian aid by the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) is based on where needs are most urgent, but takes an unnecessar...
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Risk of inadequate budgetary discipline and unsustainable public finances
In its Budget Bill for 2026, the Government has announced a fundamental change to the fiscal policy framework. The Swedish National Audit Office recom...
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Inadequate supervision increases the risk of precarious housing transactions
Good consumer protection in the housing market requires effective supervision of estate agents. The Swedish National Audit Office’s audit shows that s...
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Weak support for education based on scientific evidence in schools
Under the Education Act, education in Swedish schools must be based on scientific evidence and documented professional experience. The efforts of the ...
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Deficiencies in governance and monitoring of immigration detention
The Swedish Migration Agency and the Swedish Police Authority may decide that an individual is to be detained. The Swedish National Audit Office’s aud...
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Neglected maintenance of the state’s cultural and historical properties
Maintenance of the state’s cultural and historical properties has been neglected. Despite the National Property Board having long alerted to this situ...
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Shortcomings in central government efforts on climate transition in agriculture
Progress on the agricultural sector’s climate transition is slow. The Swedish National Audit Office’s audit shows that this is partly because central ...
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Insufficient exercises and preparedness for environmental maritime rescue
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the changing global landscape pose heightened risks of major environmental maritime accidents. The Swedish Nat...
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Weak governance and unclear effects of international climate initiatives
The central government’s purchases of international emission reduction units have so far been a cost-effective climate policy measure. Nevertheless, t...
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Unreasonably lengthy processing times at the Health and Social Care Inspectorate persist
When people affected by serious deficiencies in the healthcare system report these to the Health and Social Care Inspectorate, subsequent investigatio...
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Unclear governance and poor performance after the police reform
Ten years after a sweeping reorganisation of the Swedish police service, crime-solving rates and cost effectiveness are lower than in 2015 – although ...
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Impact of Government’s climate measures risks being overestimated
There are several shortcomings in the source materials for Government climate policy, which risks leading to overestimating the impact of various emis...
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Outdated regulations and weak protection in handling estates
When a person dies, their estate must be administered, managed and distributed. The Swedish National Audit Office’s audit reveals that regulations are...
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Weak governance in 2030 Agenda implementation
There are shortcomings in the implementation and follow-up of the 2030 Agenda, according to the Swedish National Audit Office’s audit. The Government ...
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Government agencies rarely demand decent working conditions among suppliers
Government agencies must impose requirements for decent working conditions in certain procurements. The Swedish National Audit Office’s audit shows th...
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Swedish National Audit Office to increase support to Audit Chamber of Armenia
The Swedish National Audit Office and the Audit Chamber of the Republic of Armenia are expanding and extending their development cooperation until 203...
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Inadequate support for jobseekers with disabilities
The Swedish Public Employment Service’s support for people with disabilities is ineffective. Processing times are long, specially designed interventio...
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High office costs in central government – major potential for savings
Government agencies have large and expensive offices. The Swedish National Audit Office therefore recommends that the Government steers agencies more ...
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Inadequate tools to combat systematic undeclared work
The Swedish Tax Agency has inadequate tools and powers to counteract complex and systematic undeclared work, according to the Swedish National Audit O...
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Increased general government grants during the pandemic fell wide of the mark
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020–2022, the Government initiated a substantial increase in general government grants for municipalities and regions...
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Inadequate checks on social insurance in international mobility
When an individual moves abroad or starts working in another EU country, there is a high risk of undue social insurance payments. The Swedish National...
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Inadequate efforts to ensure equity and equivalence in preschools
High quality in preschools improves children’s success in their subsequent schooling. However, the Government’s efforts to create equitable and equiva...
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Short-sighted governance of work on the vitality of minority languages
Central government efforts to keep national minority languages alive are short-sighted, leading to inefficient use of resources. More long-term govern...
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Ineffective and insufficient central government measures for cyclists
The Riksdag wishes to improve conditions for cyclists. However, measures taken by the Government and the responsible agencies to achieve the Riksdag’s...
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Shortcomings in admission to the police training programme
Admission to the police training programme is not effective, according to the Swedish National Audit Office’s audit. The shortcomings increase the ris...
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Unqualified and unsuitable teachers in schools – despite teacher certification
The teacher certification system has not led to the intended results. The proportion of unqualified teachers remains high and the system does not effe...
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Uganda’s Audit Authority receives the Prize for best performance audit
The Office of the Auditor General (Uganda) has been awarded the Prize for the best performance audit in the African Organisation of English-Speaking S...
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Poor focus on efficiency in fee-based public services for companies
The Government’s management of agencies that both determine the level of their fees and how the resulting revenue is used is too weak. The Swedish Nat...
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LKAB’s planning of its transition is mainly commercially reasonable
State-owned mining company LKAB plans to transition its production to contribute to the production of fossil-free steel. The Swedish National Audit Of...
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Efficient selection to higher education – despite lack of knowledge
The selection system to higher education functions mainly well, although it should be evaluated in a more structured manner. In some courses and study...
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Major cost increases and delays in central government IT projects
Central government agencies’ digitalisation projects often exceed their time and cost limits, according to the Swedish National Audit Office’s audit. ...
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Shortcomings in the Government’s efforts to tackle economic abuse
The central government has neglected efforts to tackle domestic economic abuse. Consequently, protection against economic violence – and support for v...
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Considerable inefficiencies in processing citizenship cases
The Swedish Migration Agency’s processing of citizenship applications is lacking in effectiveness, according to the Swedish National Audit Office’s au...
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Sluggish expansion of civil defence
The expansion of civil defence has been slow, according to the Swedish National Audit Office’s audit. The shortcomings are due to issues such as ambig...
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Insufficient prior knowledge leads to high drop-out numbers from higher education
Dropping out from higher education programmes in shortage occupations often stems from a lack of prior knowledge and misaligned expectations (misguide...
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Too little central government focus on maintenance of municipal water and wastewater network
The central government is doing too little to ensure that municipal water and wastewater treatment facilities are managed and maintained, according to...
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Deferred tax payments more costly than expected
In connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, companies were given – as a crisis measure – the opportunity to defer 12 months of tax payments for up to fi...
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Foreign students perform well, but the system has shortcomings
Non-EU citizens who come to Sweden to study generally perform well and form an important pool for recruitment to research and employment in Sweden. Ho...
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Supervision of medical devices is ineffective
Central government supervision of medical devices is too limited. In addition, government agencies’ conditions need to be strengthened if supervision ...
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Inefficiencies in the Swedish Security Service’s activities
The Swedish National Audit Office has audited the Swedish Security Service’s activities. The overall conclusion is that there are inefficiencies that ...
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Fiscal policy not entirely in line with fiscal policy framework
In 2024, the Government’s fiscal policy has not been fully designed in accordance with the fiscal policy framework. The Swedish National Audit Office ...
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Management of disability policy is unclear
Nine government agencies have specific sector responsibility related to disability policy. The Swedish National Audit Office has audited government ag...
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Uncertain multi-billion investments to reduce emissions from industry
The Industrial Leap programme is a form of state support to research and investments with the aim of reducing climate-impacting emissions. However, th...
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Government agencies’ efficiency not clearly affected by telework
The opportunity to telework has not had any tangible effect – neither positive nor negative – on whether government agencies’ activities are conducted...
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Ineffective measures to reduce discharge of harmful substances into the sea from shipping
Central government measures to reduce discharge of harmful substances into the sea from shipping are ineffective. Neither Swedish regulations on disch...
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High risk of incorrect payment in connection with foreign income
A growing number of people in Sweden today receive income from abroad that affects payments from the social insurance system. The Swedish National Aud...
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Supervision of Sweden’s gambling market is inadequate
The Swedish Gambling Authority carries out too few inspections of the operators in the Swedish gambling market. Furthermore, the choice of who should ...
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Shortcomings in efforts to get unemployed people with short education to study
People without an upper secondary school qualification constitute a large proportion of jobseekers at the Swedish Public Employment Service. Although ...
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Increased overcrowding among households receiving housing allowance
Despite the fact that the central government annually spends almost SEK 5 billion on housing allowance, the proportion of overcrowding among household...
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Few convicted offenders receive treatment within the Swedish Prison and Probation Service
Only a small proportion of offenders serving a custodial or non-custodial sentence obtain and complete treatment aimed at counteracting their risk of ...
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Exception to sick leave rules improves work prospects
Individuals on long-term sick leave have better prospects of returning to their regular job with the same number of working hours if their capacity to...
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Inadequate identity investigations in Sweden
State initiatives to establish the identity of individuals entering Sweden are not sufficiently effective. These deficiencies pose a heightened risk o...
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Neglected management of national parks and nature reserves
The management of Sweden’s most valuable natural areas is neglected. The shortcomings are mainly due to inadequate funding and follow-up that is not f...
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The Swedish National Audit Office elected onto the Governing Board of EUROSAI
In connection with the congress that is held every three years, the Swedish National Audit Office was elected onto the Governing Board of EUROSAI last...
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The Swedish Inheritance Fund should be wound up
The Swedish Inheritance Fund receives more money than it can distribute, while at the same time the controls performed on the organisations applying f...
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Shortcomings in state compulsory care of children and youths
Care and treatment at the special residential homes for young people of the National Board of Institutional Care is neither adequate nor sufficiently ...
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Targets partly missed in the corporatisation of the Swedish Road Administration and Rail Administration
The state-owned companies Svevia and Infranord were formed to create better competition, greater productivity and efficiency, as well as lower prices ...
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Inadequate interventions when children are suspected of serious crimes
Serious crime among children is a growing problem in Sweden. The audit of the Swedish National Audit Office (“the Swedish NAO”) shows that the interve...
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Shortcomings in state preventive efforts to combat money laundering
The preventive efforts of the state to combat money laundering fall short in effectiveness. The Government’s management of the anti-money laundering s...
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Inadequate efforts for information security in health and social care
Health and social care providers handle large amounts of sensitive personal data digitally, for example in medical records. The central government is ...
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Inadequate measures for children’s rights
Sweden ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (“the CRC”) more than 30 years ago, and in 2020 it became law in Sweden. The audit of the...
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