The population of Skellefteå in Northern Sweden decreased by 1215 people in the first half of 2025. This is according to figures from Statistics Sweden (SCB).

Skellefteå is thus one of the municipalities that is shrinking the most in the Northern Swedish county of Västerbotten – and in Sweden in general.

According to figures from SCB, a total of 2278 people moved out of the municipality in the last six months. In terms of people moving in, this number was a total of 1107.

The decline in the population comes in the wake of the bankruptcy of the battery company Northvolt, which filed for bankruptcy in Sweden in March 2025.

The battery company, which operated the facility Northvolt Ett in Skellefteå, had been struggling with production problems and losses for a long time, and in September 2024, mass layoffs were announced at the factory in the north.

In comparison, the population of the Northern Swedish municipality increased by 1608 people in 2024.

As HNN recently reported, the American battery company Lyten is planning to acquire remaining Northvolt assets in Sweden.