Cover Mediebarometern 2025
Photo: Scandinav Bildbyrå

YouTube, in-car radio, and fiction books – how Swedes consumed media in 2025

The Media Barometer
 | 5 May 2026
Almost all Swedes consumed moving images on an average day in 2025, and more than eight in ten used social media. At the same time, YouTube overtook scheduled TV in daily reach, in-car radio maintained its strong position, and newspaper readership continued to decline. Digital formats are dominating increasingly more areas of media use – but developments vary across media types and age groups. Read a summary of the key findings from The Media Barometer 2025 [Mediebarometern 2025].

The full report is Open Access and available for free download through the link below.

Read and download the report (in Swedish) 

Watch a webinar about the results (in Swedish) 

Almost the entire population watched moving images – more than eight in ten used social media

As in recent years, moving images were the type of media consumed by the largest share of the population in 2025. 95 per cent of the population watched some form of moving image on an average day. This includes streamed and scheduled TV, YouTube, as well as DVDs or other video content via the Internet or web TV.

Social media ranked second, with 84 per cent using it on an average day. The reach of both moving images and social media remained at the same levels in 2025 as in 2024.

Three out of four listened to radio on an average day

In total, 75 per cent listened to radio and/or podcasts on an average day. In-car radio remained the most common way of listening to radio, used by 53 per cent in 2025.

29 per cent listened to podcasts or radio-on-demand, while 27 per cent listened via a traditional radio set. 23 per cent listened to live web radio.

Across the entire population, 40 per cent listened to live radio for more than 30 minutes on an average day, while 26 per cent listened for up to 30 minutes. The corresponding figures for podcasts and on-demand radio were 25 and 6 per cent, respectively.

Most watched streamed TV, followed by YouTube

95 per cent of the population aged 9–85 watched moving images in some form during 2025. The daily reach for streamed TV was 68 per cent, while YouTube reached 52 per cent.

This means that in 2025, YouTube overtook scheduled TV, whose reach declined to 46 per cent.

Across the population, 48 per cent watched streamed TV for more than one hour on an average day, while 20 per cent watched for up to one hour. The corresponding figures for YouTube were 19 and 33 per cent.

Regarding time spent watching scheduled TV, 34 per cent watched for more than one hour and 10 per cent for up to one hour on an average day.

Newspaper readership declined

Overall, 60 per cent of the population read a daily newspaper on an average day in 2025, a decrease of six percentage points compared with 2024.

54 per cent read newspapers digitally and 14 per cent in print. Morning newspapers were read by 46 per cent. More people read morning newspapers digitally (39 per cent) than in print (13 per cent).

Evening newspapers were read almost exclusively digitally, with a total daily reach of 39 per cent.

26 per cent of the population spent more than 15 minutes reading a digital morning newspaper on an average day, while 15 per cent spent up to 15 minutes.

For print morning newspapers, 10 per cent spent more than 15 minutes reading on an average day and 4 per cent up to 15 minutes.

About one fifth of the population spent more than 15 minutes reading a digital evening newspaper on an average day, while 15 per cent spent up to 15 minutes. Time spent on print evening newspapers was very low.

32% of the population read magazines

In 2025, 32 per cent of the population read a magazine on an average day. 19 per cent read magazines in print as well as digitally.

If the time frame is extended to the past week, magazine reach rises to 45 per cent. The genre with the highest daily readership (17 per cent) was weekly and monthly magazines.

Across the population, 11 per cent spent more than 15 minutes reading digital magazines on an average day, while 7 per cent spent up to 15 minutes.

13 per cent spent more than 15 minutes reading print magazines, while 5 per cent spent up to 15 minutes.

About half of the population consumed a book

49 per cent of the population engaged with a book on an average day in 2025. Fiction was by far the most common genre, followed by textbooks and children’s books.

In terms of format, 37 per cent read printed books. 15 per cent listened to audiobooks and 7 per cent read e-books.

Time spent on different formats varied. 25 per cent spent more than 30 minutes reading a printed book, while just over 10 per cent spent up to 30 minutes.

12 per cent listened to audiobooks for more than 30 minutes on an average day, while only 3 per cent listened for up to 30 minutes.

Even fewer spent more than 30 minutes reading e-books (4 per cent), and 2 per cent read e-books for up to 30 minutes.

Instagram and Facebook were the most used social media platforms

Social media use was highest among 15–24-year-olds (97%) and lowest among 9–14-year-olds (62%).

There were significant age differences in platform use. Facebook was the most common platform among people over 44, while Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok were most popular among 15–24-year-olds.

Among those aged 25–44, Instagram and Facebook were the most popular.

Across the entire population, 17 per cent spent more than two hours on social media on an average day in 2025, and an equal share spent between one and two hours.

22 per cent spent between 30 minutes and one hour, while 28 per cent spent up to 30 minutes.

SVT was the most used news service

On an average day in 2025, 49 per cent consumed news from Sveriges Television, and 39 per cent from Sveriges Radio.

TV4 was used by 34 per cent as a news source, while 30 per cent accessed news from a morning newspaper. Evening newspapers had a reach of 27 per cent.

For most news sources, reach was significantly higher among older age groups than among younger ones.

Almost the entire population had access to a smartphone

98 per cent of the population had access to a smartphone in 2025, making it the most widespread media technology in Sweden, ahead of both television and computers.

Children aged 9–14 had high access to tablets, while the oldest group (65–85) had high access to radio sets.

Just under half the population had access to a subscribed daily newspaper

In 2025, 47 per cent of the population had access to a subscribed daily newspaper in their household. 45 per cent had access to a subscribed morning newspaper.

Most (41%) had a digital subscription, while 16 per cent had access to a print subscription.

11 per cent had access to a digital premium subscription from an evening newspaper.

More than 70% had access to streaming services for TV and music/podcasts

77 per cent had access to a subscription-based TV-streaming service (e.g., Netflix) in 2025. A slightly lower share (73%) had access to subscription-based music or podcast streaming services (e.g., Spotify).

Access to both types of streaming services was high across all age groups except the oldest, where it was somewhat lower than in the other four age groups.

41 per cent of the population had access to a TV channel package, with the highest share among those aged 65–85. 

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