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Migrants from low-income international locations dwelling in care settings in Sweden have been extra more likely to die from COVID-19 than individuals born within the nation through the first 12 months of the pandemic, in accordance with a brand new examine by researchers from Stockholm College, printed within the European Journal of Public Well being. The discovering stands out, since aged migrants in every day care often have a better life expectancy than Swedish-born people in related circumstances.
Sometimes, migrants in care settings reveal what researchers name the migrant mortality benefit. The pre-pandemic knowledge from 2019 confirms this sample, displaying that older migrants from low- and middle-income international locations in institutional care had decrease mortality charges than Swedish-born aged in related settings. This mortality benefit has been persistently noticed throughout varied migrant populations in high-income international locations, notably amongst immigrants from non-Western international locations. In the course of the COVID-19 pandemic there was a reversal of the mortality benefit.
“I was very surprised by this result. This represents a significant departure from typical patterns and underscores the disproportionate impact the pandemic had on migrant populations, even within Sweden’s well-regulated care system. Even after controlling for prior diseases, the migrant disadvantage still persisted,” says Eleonora Mussino, researcher in demography at Stockholm College.
It’s identified from earlier research that migrants in Sweden had a better COVID-19 mortality price than natives, particularly through the first 12 months of the pandemic. That is generally defined by variations in motion and socializing patterns. That’s the reason Mussino and her colleagues anticipated that dwelling in care settings would have a big equalizing impact on mortality.
As a substitute, the researchers discovered that care settings had a slight influence, and that the distinction in mortality between migrants and natives was nonetheless important.
“We believed that everyone living in a care setting would be exposed to the same type of routines. So, it is very strange to find that some people have a disadvantage despite living in the same context with the same people,” says Mussino.
The persistence of disparities between Swedish-born people and migrants even in extremely managed institutional settings suggests, in accordance with the researchers, that components past facility-level variations—similar to systemic limitations, communication challenges, or differential remedy inside the similar amenities—might contribute to those inequalities.
“These results highlight the urgent need for targeted public health strategies during future pandemics that address not only institutional protocols but also within-facility equity,” says Mussino.
Whereas the examine supplies essential proof of persistent mortality disparities throughout care settings, elementary questions stay in regards to the underlying mechanisms driving these inequalities, Mussino explains.
“Our findings point to complex systemic factors that require interdisciplinary investigation. Only by identifying these root causes can we develop targeted interventions to ensure truly equitable pandemic preparedness across all populations, regardless of country of origin,” says Mussino.
Utilizing Swedish whole inhabitants knowledge (2019–2022), the researchers stratified members aged 70+ by care setting and migration standing. They analyzed the primary pandemic 12 months (March 2020–February 2021) and the second 12 months (March 2021–February 2022), alongside pre-pandemic mortality knowledge for context. End result measures included all deaths from COVID-19 and different causes. Cox proportional hazards fashions have been employed adjusting for sociodemographic and well being variables.
Extra info:
Eleonora Mussino et al, Did migrants expertise a COVID-19 mortality drawback within the Swedish care setting? An observational cohort examine on kind of care and mortality amongst older migrants in Sweden, European Journal of Public Well being (2025). DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckaf155
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Aged migrants in Swedish care houses confronted greater COVID-19 mortality threat (2025, October 27)
retrieved 27 October 2025
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