Approximately 220,000 children in Sweden live alternately with their parents, according to a new report from Statistics Sweden (SCB). This arrangement is more common among children aged six to nine compared to younger and older age groups.
In Sweden, around 490,000 children and young people have parents registered at different addresses. The child is often registered at one parent’s address, and the most common arrangement is alternating residence, meaning the child spends roughly equal time with both parents.
Furthermore, about 205,000 of these children primarily live with their mother, and around 40,000 mostly with their father.
Most parents agree
76% of mothers and 88% of fathers report that they mutually agreed on the child’s living arrangement. Most parents are also satisfied with the setup. However, it’s relatively common for parents to disagree, leading to potential custody disputes. Among these, mothers often indicate a lack of interest from the father regarding the child, while fathers frequently suggest they weren’t involved in deciding the child’s residence.
Regarding finances, half of the mothers and three-quarters of the fathers say they’ve come to a mutual agreement. The most common approach is to split the costs or for each parent to cover expenses when the child is with them.
The results come from a web survey by SCB sent to parents who don’t live together, asking questions about the child’s living arrangements and how they agree on residence and finances.
