It wasn’t just the number of visits that increased at the country’s emergency departments last year; the length of stay also went up by several minutes. This is shown by statistics compiled by the National Board of Health and Welfare.
In 2025, visits to emergency departments increased by three percent compared to 2024, and the median stay was four hours and 15 minutes—a rise of three minutes.
At the same time, there are significant regional differences. The worst performer is Region Skåne, where the stay lasted four hours and 57 minutes, closely followed by Region Uppsala (four hours and 49 minutes). The best performer was Region Jönköping County, with a median time of three hours and two minutes.
According to the report, there are also differences between genders and age groups, with the longest stay—297 minutes—recorded for women over 80 years old. The gap between men and women exists in all age categories, with the largest difference found in the 19-34 and 35-49 age groups at 18 and 15 minutes, respectively.
The median waiting time to receive an initial assessment by a doctor also increased slightly—from 60 to 61 minutes for all visits. Västra Götaland Region had the longest wait at one hour and 29 minutes, while Region Norrbotten had the shortest at 43 minutes.
Here, Södra Älvsborg Hospital performed the worst with 98 minutes, while Kalix Hospital was the best with 19 minutes.
Calls for More Research
Bruno Ziegler is a medical advisor at the National Board of Health and Welfare with a background as head of the Emergency Clinic at Örebro University Hospital.
“It is interesting that differences between women and men are seen in all age groups. We also see that this pattern is repeated year after year. We don’t know the reason today, but this is an issue that needs to be investigated more closely, for example through research,” says Bruno Ziegler.
“We continue to see large variations between both regions and hospitals. This indicates that organization and working methods can have a significant effect on how long patients need to wait in the emergency department.”