In recent years, the Swedish daily newspaper market has undergone transformation, with clear growth in digital subscriptions. Recent findings for the first quarter of 2025 show that 25 percent of households now pay for digital newspapers. Among young people, such as those aged 20–30, the share of paying subscribers is significantly higher. This is according to new data from Mediavision.

In the recently concluded first quarter, 25 percent of Swedish households had at least one digital subscription to a newspaper (i.e., without access to a printed newspaper). Among young adults, aged 20 to 30, the share with a digital subscription is notably higher – 33 percent now have at least one digital daily newspaper subscription. Among older people, aged 40 to 50, the figure is lower, indicating that the digital transformation in news media is driven by younger people. Households subscribing to a digital daily newspaper pay an average of 130 SEK per month.

–  The fact that young adults are more inclined than older people to pay for digital news media shows that journalism holds a strong position within this group, comments Marie Nilsson, CEO of Mediavision. There is often concern about young people’s willingness to pay for journalism. However, our figures point in a partly different direction.

The share of young adults with a digital newspaper subscription has increased by 40% over the past five years, from 20% in 2020 to today’s 33%. At the same time, the media landscape has changed substantially, with social media capturing more of young people’s attention. The fact that digital daily subscriptions have increased is therefore a sign of strength for journalism.

– The fact that young adults are increasingly willing to pay for digital daily newspapers is a positive sign, especially now that competition for their attention is fiercer than ever. For newspaper companies and news media, it’s essential to continue attracting younger readers and subscribers, concludes Marie Nilsson.