Starting autumn 2026, it will be possible for English speakers to donate blood in Malmö and Lund, GeBlod, the organisation that manages Sweden's blood donation hubs, confirmed.
"We are training our staff in Malmö and Lund to be able to receive English-speaking blood donors – this is an important part in improving our blood services and the supply capacity for the healthcare system", GeBlod spokesperson for the Skåne region, Helena Samuelsson, told The Local.
"We need to double the number of blood donors to be able to manage a major crisis incident, and to secure the future need for blood in healthcare."
Fewer and fewer people in Sweden regularly donate blood. Regular donor numbers decreased last year in 15 of the country's 21 regions, where they now account for only 2.7 percent of the population aged 18–64.
There are significant differences between the regions. Västerbotten has the highest share of regular donors (4.1 percent) followed by Blekinge (4.0 percent). But interest is lower in the metropolitan regions. In Skåne and Stockholm, respectively, 2.3 percent and 2.2 percent of the population are regular blood donors.
According to GeBlod, Sweden needs to increase the number of blood donors to five percent of the population (around 400,000 people) to improve hospitals' capacity in crisis situations, major accidents or war.
In most regions, it has long only been possible to donate blood if you speak Swedish. The reason is that the donor must fully understand the health declaration they sign, which ensures the blood is safe.
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In 2019, Stockholm became the first region in Sweden to translate the relevant material and train staff in medical English, with Gothenburg and Uppsala following in 2024. But as healthcare is run at a regional level, it is up to individual regions to decide whether to make this possible.
"We have had other projects that we needed to prioritise, and we now have the time and energy to implement this. The regions have different conditions and work in different ways, which is why it isn't possible to copy one region's material directly. For example, here in Skåne, we have a new testing method as of this past winter, which means that donors do not have to wait as long after a surgery," GeBlod spokesperson Viveca Klasson told The Local.
"However, in our work with 'Blood Donation in English', we have had great communication and help from Stockholm, Uppsala and Gothenburg. Together, the blood centres in Sweden enjoy an excellent collaboration and benefit from each other on many levels."
Blood donors in Sweden must also have a Swedish personal number and Swedish ID, such as a driving licence or the Tax Agency's ID card.