New Report Highlights Alarming Rise in School Stress Affecting Swedish Youth Mental Health

A recent report titled "35 000 stängda dörrar," jointly released by Sveriges Elevkårer, Sveriges Elevråd, and the Tim Bergling Foundation, reveals a troubling increase in school-related stress among Swedish students and its severe impact on their mental health. The report, citing data from the Public Health Agency, states that school stress has tripled in the last 15 years. Each year, nearly 20,000 students fail to qualify for high school, and about 35,000 students per grade do not obtain a high school diploma—significantly higher than the EU average.

The included Novus survey shows that 40% of students are quite or very worried that their grades will limit their future opportunities, while a similar portion feels uninformed about alternative educational paths if they don’t qualify. Furthermore, 20% of students facing the risk of not qualifying report feeling very bad emotionally, underscoring the deep anxiety tied to academic performance.

Alexandra Björnsson from the Tim Bergling Foundation stressed that the pressure of believing their future depends on a single grade creates anxiety impacting both current and long-term mental health. Recommendations from the report emphasize the need to create safer, more supportive school environments and raise awareness of real opportunities for students to progress to national high school programs after middle school.

This report underscores urgent action needed to alleviate school stress and protect the well-being of young people in Sweden.