Record Number of People Feeling Offended

On Monday, the Equality Ombudsman (DO) presented the authority’s annual statistical report on complaints received during the past year. In 2025, a new record was set, and in just a few years, the increase is over 200 percent.

The report shows that 6,831 complaints were filed last year. This is a significant rise compared to 5,182 in 2024. In 2016, the number was 2,142, which means the increase to date is 219 percent.

Of the 6,831 complaints received in 2025, 5,697 concerned discrimination, 434 concerned reprisals, and 348 related to disadvantage under one of the family leave laws. In 2025, complaints about alleged discrimination in working life increased by almost 50 percent and accounted for about a third of all filings last year.

The grounds for discrimination most often cited in complaints are still disability, followed by ethnic affiliation. The largest percentage increases during 2024-2025 concern complaints about discrimination related to sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.

Over Half a Million Offended

At the same time, the dark figure is claimed to be substantial, and other studies are said to indicate that at least 600,000 people feel subjected to discrimination every year.

– From that perspective, it is positive that more people are now filing complaints. Discrimination is a serious societal problem, and behind every number is a person, and a vulnerability that can have major negative consequences in the long term, says Equality Ombudsman Lars Arrhenius.

According to Arrhenius, the statistics indicate that the DO’s focus on ensuring that those exposed to discrimination receive redress is having an impact.