01.04.202606:57:24UTC+00Sweden Manufacturing PMI Highest Since 2022

Sweden’s Swedbank Manufacturing PMI edged up to 56.3 in March 2026 from 56.0 in February, remaining above its long-term average for the ninth straight month and reaching its highest level since March 2022. The increase was driven by stronger employment (57.9 vs 54.9 in February) and continued growth in inventory purchases (51.4 vs 53.6). At the same time, suppliers’ delivery times lengthened significantly (58.7 vs 52.4), pointing to renewed supply bottlenecks, while new orders weakened (54.6 vs 59.0), posting their largest negative contribution in 20 months. Both export and domestic orders softened, to 52.2 and 53.9 respectively, while order backlogs held steady at 52.9. Firms’ production plans for the coming six months remained robust at 67.8, underscoring persistent optimism. On the price front, the supplier raw and input price index surged by 9.6 points to 67.2, its highest reading since October 2022, driven by rising global energy costs amid the conflict in the Middle East.