Sweden’s legal gender law received 1,979 applications during its first eleven months, according to figures from the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen). The first data collected under the reform are now becoming part of the political debate ahead of Sweden’s 2026 election, with the parties supporting the government divided over whether the legislation should remain in place.
The applications were submitted between 1 July 2025 and 31 May 2026, according to figures reported by Swedish public broadcaster SVT. Of the total, 271 came from people under the age of 18.
Around 89 per cent of applications were approved, while 3 per cent were rejected. The remaining cases had not yet been registered as either approved or rejected when the data were compiled.
Applications to change a legal designation from male to female accounted for 54 per cent of the total.
Sweden’s legal gender law changed the application process
The new legislation entered into force on 1 July 2025. It separated the procedure for changing the sex registered in the population register from decisions concerning medical treatment or surgical procedures.
Under the reform, applicants are no longer required to have a diagnosis of gender dysphoria. The minimum age for changing legal gender was also reduced from 18 to 16, although applicants under 18 require the written consent of their legal guardians.
The Swedish government’s account of the reform explains that legal recognition and genital surgery have been governed by separate procedures since July 2025.
The legislation nevertheless does not make a legal gender change automatic. An application must be submitted to the National Board of Health and Welfare, and the authorities must assess whether the registered sex does not correspond to the applicant’s gender identity and whether that identity is expected to remain stable for the foreseeable future.
Before the reform, the National Board of Health and Welfare received between 300 and 600 applications a year, although the previous figures also included requests for authorisation for surgical procedures and are therefore not directly comparable.
Thomas Lindén, a department director at the authority, told SVT that some of the initial demand may have come from people who had been waiting for the new rules to enter into force. He said the number of applications was nevertheless broadly in line with the authority’s expectations.
The reform still divides Sweden’s governing bloc
The figures have emerged while the law remains a source of disagreement within the parties supporting Sweden’s centre-right government.
The Sweden Democrats (Sverigedemokraterna) and the Christian Democrats (Kristdemokraterna) want the legislation repealed. Both parties opposed the reform when it was adopted, raising concerns about the lower age limit and the removal of the diagnostic requirement.
Christian Democratic leader Ebba Busch told SVT that her party wanted to strengthen the rights of transgender people but did not believe legal gender should be changed without a clear diagnosis. The party has also argued for a more nationally coordinated healthcare system for transgender patients.
The Moderates (Moderaterna) voted in favour of the legislation but have since called for a review and left open the possibility of amendments.
The Liberals (Liberalerna) continue to defend the reform. Party leader Simona Mohamsson described it as a historic modernisation that had made everyday life easier for many people and said her party would continue working to preserve it.
All of Sweden’s parliamentary opposition parties currently support keeping the legislation, according to SVT.
The first figures shift the debate towards implementation
The political controversy surrounding the reform initially focused mainly on its legal principles, the minimum age and the relationship between gender identity and medical assessment. The first year of data has introduced a more concrete question: how the law is being used in practice.
The 1,979 applications show substantially greater demand than the annual figures recorded under the previous system, although the difference in what the two procedures covered limits direct comparisons. The high approval rate also suggests that most submitted applications have met the requirements established under the new framework.
As Sweden approaches its election, the future of the legal gender law is likely to remain a visible dividing line within the government’s parliamentary bloc. Whether the next government preserves, revises or attempts to repeal it will depend not only on the election result, but also on whether the parties currently cooperating under the Tidö Agreement can reach a common position.
