Swedish blogging statistics

In November 2009, the World Internet Institute released their yearly report (in Swedish) about Swedish internet use. It covers a wide spectrum of internet use, from file-sharing through to communities, and of course – blogs.

Swedish Blogging

In the section entitled “Communication with blogs and communities” (Kommunikation med bloggar och communities) the report says that in 2009, 5% of the Swedish population (over the age of 16) are active bloggers (and just as many have at some point write a blog but aren’t currently active). Additionally, blogging is not an Internet activity that is evenly spread across the population. The most active age group is 16-25 year olds, and even more active are females within that age group.

Reading of blogs

37% of the population read blogs. 60% within the 16-25 age group. So even though a relatively small percentage are actively producing blog content, a much broader audience read (and respond) to that content. The most active group, women between 16-25, contains 39% who write or have written a blog, and 69% who read blogs. As a communication channel to that age group, blogs have an undeniable reach.

Graph showing how often different age groups read blogs

What do Swedes blog about?

The vast majority of blogs are about people’s daily lives – 64%. 26% of Swedish blogs have a specific theme, such as a hobby, photography, music, etc. A smaller percentage of blogs, 6%, are work related. Political blogs, or more specifically blogs where people express their opinions about current affairs or recent topics, similarly account for 6% of blogs.

Doubled in two years

Compared with the 2007 WII report, the percentage of the population blogging has doubled (from 3% to 6%). Whilst this percentage is still only small, blogs in Sweden hold an increasingly important position as a communication medium.