So-called white flight has become a well-known phenomenon in a number of Western cities, where many Europeans move from areas dominated by non-European immigrants. The trend is also found in the Nordic countries and it seems to be intensifying.

In Samnytt, Mats Dagerlind writes about how more and more Swedes are moving out of cities such as Malmö, where ethnic Swedes are already a minority. With a large and growing proportion of immigrants from the Islamic world and Africa, Malmö struggles with a lot of crime and major economic problems. In reality, Malmö is almost bankrupt, but is supported by taxpayers from other parts of the country. This is of course becoming increasingly difficult to maintain when native Swedes move towards becoming a minority in Sweden as a whole.

In Scania, more and more Swedes are moving out of the big cities and into smaller municipalities such as Staffanstorp and Höör. Families settle permanently in places where they may have previously had summer homes. Swedes who move to the countryside often cite increased security as an important reason for this. While small municipalities do not have as many restaurants as Malmö, the schools are safer for the children.

In Region Scania’s development board, chairman Anna Jähnke admits that this is a worrying development for Malmö, which is already struggling with serious social, criminological and cultural problems. “You have to be honest and say that if we don’t do something, there will be problems in the future. Then the risk is that our larger cities in Scania will become increasingly segregated,” she states.

Anna Råman, head of analysis at the regional development unit, follows the migration flows closely. She does not think that the small municipalities “take their responsibility” when they so unilaterally attract wealthy Swedes as opposed to resource-poor migrants. Råman regrets that these municipalities exclude “the population group that is growing the most in Sweden” when they primarily attract ethnic Swedes.