Swedish companies operating abroad are doing well despite a slowdown in global economic growth, but views differ between developed markets and some emerging markets – including India, UAE, Mexico, and Indonesia – where sentiment is increasingly optimistic.

In the majority of developed markets in North America and Western Europe, views of the business climate are less positive compared to 2022, but these regions still score slightly above average on the 1-5 index scale.  

Around half of the 1,600+ companies who took part in this year’s Global Business Climate Survey confirm that they are planning to make new investments overseas, with the most ambitious investments due to take place in Canada, Brazil, and India. 68 per cent of the respondents in all markets reported profitable results 2022 and 66 per cent are expecting an increase in industry turnover.

Download the report for a full overview of the survey results.

About the survey

The Global Business Climate Survey is jointly produced by Business Sweden, the Swedish Chambers of Commerce (SCI), and Sweden’s embassies and consulates and covers 23 markets in Western Europe, APAC, MEA+, and the Americas.

The survey was first carried out in 2020 and captures the viewpoints, experiences, and insights of Swedish business leaders overseas. This year, the surveys were carried out between March and April 2023. In total, more than 1,600 C-level representatives of Swedish companies abroad responded to the survey and answered 18 standard questions on the business climate in their main markets. The responses from the various regions are weighted in the survey results.

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All analyses

Global Business Climate Survey 2023
PDF - 1 mb
Global Business Climate Survey 2022
PDF - 4 mb
Global Business Climate Survey 2021
PDF - 7 mb