the demand for sweden prepared meals is projected to grow steadily over the next decade as more people in the country are turning to convenient, ready-made food options to save time. with an increasing number of swedes wanting to spend less time in the kitchen while still eating healthy, nutritious meals, the demand for ready-made meals is expected to continue to rise. as of 2018, sweden’s prepared meals market is estimated to be worth around sek 10.8 billion, and growth is expected to reach 5.2 percent by 2023. as of the same year, 44 percent of prepared meals are currently manufactured by retail stores in sweden, while the remaining 56 percent are imported from abroad. this trend is likely to remain steady due to the fact that prepared meals are far easier and more cost-effective to import than to prepare in-house. the swedish retail sector is expected to drive growth in the prepared meals market over the next decade. in 2018, retail sales accounted for around 79 percent of the prepared meals market, while the remaining 21 percent was split between the food service and catering sectors. the main reason for this distribution is the high number of convenience stores across the country, which allow customers to purchase pre-made meals quickly and easily. over the next decade, the number of convenience stores is likely to further increase, leading to an even larger share of the market taken up by the retail sector. with the population of sweden expected to rise over the next decade, the demand for convenience foods will also rise. for instance, the percentage of population aged 65 and over is projected to increase from 17.5 percent in 2018 to 19.5 percent in 2032. since elderly people generally don’t have as much time to cook as their younger counterparts, the demand for prepared meals is expected to be higher amongst this demographic. the sweden prepared meals market is expected to experience steady growth over the next decade, with revenue forecast to reach sek 19.5 billion by 2032. as more and more swedes look towards cost-saving, convenient food options, the demand for ready-made meals is likely to remain strong over this period. moreover, an increasing number of convenience stores and changes in the demographic of the population are likely to further drive demand for prepared meals in the coming years.
