Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
Statistics Sweden Economical Statistics Unit for Business Structure (SCB ESA/NUP/NS)
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
Postal adresses:
Swedish agency for Growth Policy Analysis
Studentplan 3
831 35 Östersund
Sweden
Statistics Sweden
Åkullegatan 14
S-701 89 Örebro
Sweden
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
Confidential because of GDPR
2.1. Metadata last certified
30 November 2025
2.2. Metadata last posted
30 November 2025
2.3. Metadata last update
30 November 2025
3.1. Data description
The GVC dataset contains ten variables defined in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/918. These cover:
(1) employment by business function
(2-5) enterprises purchasing or supplying goods and services abroad
(6) the number of enterprises carrying out international sourcing
(7-8) jobs created and lost resulting from international sourcing
(9) motivations and barriers for sourcing, and
(10) events affecting GVC arrangements.
For variables (2)-(5), the dataset includes only enterprises that report at least EUR 100 000 in goods or services purchased from or supplied abroad in the final year of the reference period.
All data are provided as absolute values and presented by NACE activity, business function, geographical partner area, size class, motivation and barrier types, and other breakdowns required by the regulation.
3.2. Classification system
NACE Rev. 2 is used to classify economic activities for all variables. Business functions are created following the Manual on the Classification of Business Function and follow the harmonised list defined in the GVC implementing act, distinguishing core and support functions as well as specific functional categories such as production of goods, ICT services, marketing, engineering, and R&D.
Geographical classifications follow the breakdowns prescribed in Regulation (EU) 2022/918, including EU Member States, Extra-EU, and specific partner regions (e.g. China, India, USA and Canada, Central and South America, Africa).
Classifications for job skills follow the high-skilled / not-high-skilled distinction set out in the GVC Compilers’ Manual.
3.3. Coverage - sector
The statistics cover market producers classified under NACE Rev. 2 Sections B to N. This sector coverage is defined in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/918 and applies uniformly to all variables. Only enterprises with 50 or more employees and self-employed persons in the final year of the reference period are included.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
All concepts and definitions follow Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/918 and the GVC Compilers’ Manual. International sourcing refers to the partial or full movement of business functions abroad within or outside the enterprise group, during 2021-2023. Variables (2)-(5) apply only to enterprises exceeding the EUR 100 000 threshold for goods/services purchased or supplied abroad. Business functions are divided into core and support categories and specific functional areas (e.g. ICT, management and administration). Motivations and barriers follow the fixed lists provided in the regulation, and importance factors use the standard four-level scale (very important, moderately important, not important, not applicable/do not know).
3.5. Statistical unit
The statistical unit used for the GVC statistics is the enterprise, as defined in Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 on European business statistics and the Business Register Regulation.
3.6. Statistical population
The target population consists of all market-producing enterprises in NACE Sections B-N with at least 50 employees and self-employed persons in the final year of the reference period. For variables (2)-(5), only enterprises reporting at least EUR 100 000 of goods or services purchased from or supplied abroad are included, in line with the Annex of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/918.
3.7. Reference area
The reference area is the national economic territory of Sweden, as defined in Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 for European business statistics. Units located within the national territory and covered by national statistical legislation are included.
3.8. Coverage - Time
The GVC statistics refer to the triennial reference period 2021–2023, as defined in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/918. All data transmitted relate exclusively to this three-year reference period.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable. No base year or index is used, as the data are compiled as absolute values within the triennial reference period defined by Regulation (EU) 2022/918.
All variables in the GVC dataset are compiled and transmitted in absolute values, in accordance with the measurement unit specified in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/918. No percentages, indexes, ratios or other derived units are transmitted to Eurostat. This unit applies uniformly to all variables and all breakdowns required by the regulation.
The reference period for the GVC statistics is 2021-2023, in accordance with Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/918. Variables cover activities that may have occurred during this three-year period. Variables (1)-(5) refer specifically to the final year of the period (2023). Variables (6)-(10) cover actions that took place at any time between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2023.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
GVC statistics are produced under the legal framework of European business statistics. The main legal bases are Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 on European business statistics and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/918, which defines the variables, population, breakdowns and transmission deadlines for the 2021-2023 reference period. The topic Global Value Chains is listed in Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2019/2152.
The national statistical authority collects and compiles these data under the national statistical law, which provides the legal mandate for data collection, access to administrative sources and the obligation of enterprises to respond. Regulation (EC) 223/2009 on European statistics provides the general legal framework for professional independence, data quality and statistical confidentiality.
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Data are transmitted to Eurostat in accordance with Regulation (EC) 223/2009 and Articles 17 and 18 of Regulation (EU) 2019/2152, which govern data and metadata transmission. Only authorised staff have access to identifiable information at the national level. Microdata are shared between Statistics Sweden and the Swedish agency for Growth Policy Analysis. Data transmitted to Eurostat are handled under strict confidentiality rules and disseminated only in aggregated form. Secure transmission channels are used for all data transfers.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
The Swedish GVC survey follows Statistics Sweden's general confidentiality policy. At national level confidentiality is regulated by SFS 2009:400. It regulates which information from authorities may not be disclosed due to confidentiality. Within Statistics Sweden’s statistical operations, there is normally so-called absolute secrecy, which means that no information about individuals is disclosed, regardless of the reason. There are a few, narrow exceptions to this absolute secrecy.
At EU level confidentiality is regulated by regulation (EC) 223/2009 on European statistics and Regulation (EU) 2019/2152. These acts establish the legal obligation to protect confidential information, ensure professional secrecy and restrict the use of data to statistical purposes only. Access to identifiable information is limited to authorised staff, and confidential data cannot be used for administrative, fiscal or legal purposes.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
Primary disclosure risks have been calculated for enterprises for each cell according to the threshold rule (n=3) and the p%-rule (p=10). Secondary confidentiality was not applied after analyzing the result. The cells which would have been marked for secondary confidentiality didn't have any real (attribute) disclosure risks (only self identification).
No microdata is disseminated for public use.
8.1. Release calendar
There hasn't been a decision on national dissemination of GVC statistics at the release of this metadata report. However once a decision is made the information and release calendar will be available on Statistics Sweden and Growth Analysis webpage. Publication will be on Growth Analysis webpage.
8.2. Release calendar access
The national release calendar is publicly available on Statistics Sweden and Growth Analysis website under the publication schedule section. It is accessible free of charge and updated regularly to reflect planned publication dates for statistical outputs, including GVC-related releases. The calendar ensures transparency and equal access for all users.
8.3. Release policy - user access
All users have equal and simultaneous access to published GVC data at the time of release. No privileged pre-release access is granted. Dissemination follows the NSI's standard user access and embargo rules, which are aligned with national statistical legislation and ESS guidelines. Metadata and documentation are made available at the time of release.
GVC statistics are collected, compiled and transmitted every three years in accordance with Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/918. National dissemination, where applicable, follows the same triennial cycle and usually takes place after the transmission of data and metadata to Eurostat.
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
The decision on national dissemination hasn't been made yet.
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
The decision on national dissemination hasn't been made yet.
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
The decision on national dissemination hasn't been made yet.
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
The decision on national dissemination hasn't been made yet.
10.5. Dissemination format - other
The decision on national dissemination hasn't been made yet.
10.6. Documentation on methodology
The decision on national dissemination hasn't been made yet.
10.7. Quality management - documentation
The national documentation on quality procedures is not yet available, but will be published along with the results at a later date.
11.1. Quality assurance
The compilation of GVC statistics follows the general quality management principles applied within Statistics Sweden.See the quality document for Swedish official statistics for more details: A Handbook on Quality for Official Statistics of Sweden.
All survey and administrative data used for GVC statistics undergo standardised quality controls based on the ESS Code of Practice, Regulation (EC) 223/2009 and national quality guidelines. Procedures include automated validation, manual review, cross-domain checks and full documentation of processing steps.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
Overall data quality is assessed through evaluations of relevance, accuracy, coherence and completeness. Internal coherence between variables and breakdowns is reviewed, and external coherence is checked against other business statistics domains. Common limitations include item non-response in detailed breakdowns and occasional inconsistencies in administrative variables.
Both built in controlls in the web-questionnaire and controlls on the collected data from the repondents were used. There are controlls for item nonresponse, consistency and also plausibility controlls for some variables. Some corrections were made in the collected data and in some cases data was imputed for non-response following simple rules. Due to consistency issues in a few quesions the data was manually corrected. In some cases imputations were made based on the answers from other legal units within the same enterprise.
Corrections were made in the collected data for question 1.1 (series 1) regarding core business functions for several respondents. Number of employees for core business function was corrected by using total number of employees from the statistical business register.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
GVC statistics are relevant for analysing international production linkages, sourcing patterns and exposure to global supply chain disruptions. The information supports national policy analysis in areas such as industrial strategy, resilience and competitiveness. The dataset is produced using harmonised European definitions and provides consistent input for national and EU-level assessments.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Since GVC has never been nationally disseminated there are no current users to survey.
12.3. Completeness
All mandatory variables and breakdowns required by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/918 were transmitted for the 2021-2023 reference period. The 1 percent rule was not applied. Data cover all required combinations of NACE sections B-N, size classes, business functions and geographical areas as specified in the regulation.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
Overall accuracy is assessed using checks on coverage, internal coherence and consistency with related business statistics. Most units in the target population provided usable data, and validation procedures reduced the impact of inconsistent responses. Some uncertainty remains for detailed variables, particularly those requiring subjective assessments such as sourcing motives and barriers.
The overall assessment of the quality of the GVC statistics is considered good. The coverage is good for the most important items, questions 3.1 (series 6, international sourcing and follow-up questions) and the unweighted response rate was about 80 percent, which is a significant improvement compared to previous GVC surveys (about 30 percent response rate). The main reason for the improved response rate is that the survey is now mandatory.
It should however be emphasized that it is very complicated (both in the design phase, non-response treatment and due to data systems) to handle enterprises with 2 or more legal units in a statistical survey. More than 70 percent of the enterprises in the GVC-population has 2 or more legal units. To select a proper design that gives unbiased estimates is connected with very high cost to produce statistics and very high response burden for enterprises. To reduce response burden and lower costs a reduced legal units approach was used. All legal units with 50 or more employees was surveyed for the selected enterprises. This lead to undercoverage due directly to the design, in terms of number of persons employed about 5 percent undercoverage. Another problem is that one enterprise can have both responding and non-responding legal unit. In this situation the enterprise is considered to be respondent and all the items for the non-responding legal unit were imputed before consolidating the data to enterprise level.
13.2. Sampling error
Statistics Sweden ultilized a reduced LeU approach for sampling GVC. For each enterprise in the sample, one legal unit was selected to respond (typically the head legal unit) and only on behalf of itself. Large legal units were also included in the survey. The responses were then consolidated at the enterprise level. The head legal unit approach wasn't used because it is impractical in practice. It is not feasible to collect comprehensive enterprise-level data from a single legal unit. Determining which legal unit should respond is challenging, and we are unable to effectively communicate or explain the enterprise concept to respondents. Legal considerations also play a role. Additionally, conducting a full legal unit-level approach was not viable due to the excessive sample size it would require.
The sampling frame of enterprises was stratified by NACE*Size class. In each stratum a random sample of enterprises was selected. Stratum included the largest size class was "take-all" stratum. For each sampled enterprise we choosed the head legal unit and also included large and medium-sized legal units (number of persons employed>=50) in the survey. We imputed all the items for non-responding legal units for responding enterprises. The legal units data was consolidated to enterprise level, then weighted (design weight*response weight) within strata to population level.
In total there was 6989 enterprises in the sampling frame. A random sample of 2884 enterprises were selected and the questionnaire was sent to 4486 legal units.
After adjustment of the non-response in the survey, the precision in the estimates is fairly good. As an example, the main variables in question 3.1 the estimated coefficient of variation is about 6-20 percent for the estimated total of sourcing international (which is small and a rare property in the population) for the aggregated domains. For variables in question 5.1 and 5.2 (series 17) the estimated coefficient of variation is about 10 percent or less for the estimated totals for most of the items.
13.3. Non-sampling error
Non-sampling errors constitute the main potential source of inaccuracy in the GVC dataset. Item non-response may occur for some detailed breakdowns, particularly for questions requiring subjective assessments such as sourcing motives or barriers. Follow-up procedures are used to reduce missing information, and validation checks identify inconsistent responses or misinterpretation of business function categories. Coverage errors are limited due to the use of the statistical business register for population and sample construction. Overall, non-sampling errors have a moderate but manageable effect on the final results, and established validation and imputation procedures help to minimise their impact.
The survey response rate was approximately 80%. Item non-response rate was low overall often between 0-5%. However due to an error in the questionnaire there was item non-response rate at above 50% in question v52. This was caused by respondents who answered yes in question v41 where not asked to also answer question v52.
14.1. Timeliness
The GVC results for the 2021-2023 reference period were compiled following the legal deadlines set by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/918. The national production schedule provided sufficient time for validation and quality checks. Timeliness and punctuality are monitored as part of the standard national procedures for business statistics.
14.2. Punctuality
All internal milestones in the national GVC production process were met in line with the planned schedule. Data collection, editing and validation activities followed the established timetable. National dissemination has not yet been decided.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
Geographical comparability is supported by the harmonised definitions, classifications (NACE Rev. 2) and breakdowns specified in the GVC Implementing Act. Methodological guidance from Eurostat ensures a common framework across EU Member States. No national deviations from the European definitions were applied. Minor procedural differences at national level may occur but do not materially affect comparability.
15.2. Comparability - over time
The 2021-2023 cycle is the first official GVC data collection under the European Business Statistics (EBS) Regulation. However, the country has previous experience with voluntary or pilot GVC surveys carried out before the EBS framework. Broad conceptual continuity exists between the earlier exercises and the current official collection, as key definitions, business function categories and geographical breakdowns follow the same methodological foundations. Nevertheless, differences in survey design, sampling approach, questionnaire content or follow-up procedures may limit full comparability with earlier voluntary results. No methodological breaks exist within the 2021-2023 cycle itself.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Due to a lack of resources no cross domain comparisons were made with other statistics.
15.4. Coherence - internal
Internal coherence is supported by validation checks that ensure consistency across activity, size class, business function and geographical breakdowns. Logical rules are applied to verify relationships between variables, and follow-up procedures address inconsistencies where necessary. Enterprises reporting international sourcing are expected to appear in the relevant business function or partner breakdowns.
Statistics Sweden made controlls for item nonresponse, consistency and for a few variables also some plausibility controlls. Some corrections of collected data where made, imputations of item non-response by following simple rules and imputations for non-response LeU within responding enterprises with several LeU using other responding LeU within the same enterprises or neighbour enterprises with the same NACE and size class.
The average completion time for the questionnaire was estimated at around 54 minutes and was answered by 2315 legal units. Statistics Sweden intent is to always lower the burden on respondents if possible. In GVC this is done by using stratified sample that will represent the population. The survey is limited to enterprises with 50 or more persons employed. Burden reduction measures include clear questionnaire design, targeted follow-up and in the future the intent is to reuse administrative data. Internal resource use at Statistics Sweden was in line with standard operational requirements for business surveys.
17.1. Data revision - policy
Statistics Sweden applies a national revision policy that allows for updates to previously transmitted data when significant new or corrected information is identified. See Statistics Sweden revision policy for further details. Revisions follow the principles set out in national dissemination and quality guidelines and are communicated to Eurostat through established ESS procedures. Because the GVC dataset is collected for a fixed reference period, revision activity is typically limited to the period shortly after the initial transmission.
17.2. Data revision - practice
In practice, revisions are infrequent and usually concern clarifications or corrections identified during validation or respondent follow-up. These adjustments may relate to detailed classifications such as geographical partner categories or sourcing motivations. All revisions are documented internally and communicated to Eurostat as part of the validation process.
No revisions were made for the most recent GVC cycle.
18.1. Source data
The primary data source is a dedicated survey of enterprises in NACE sections B-N with 50 or more persons employed. The sampling or coverage frame is derived from the national statistical business register, which provides core information on economic activity and size class. Register information may also support validation or reduce respondent burden where appropriate.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
The GVC data are collected every three years in accordance with Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/918. No interim or annual data collection is carried out, as the domain is designed to provide structural information for a fixed three-year reference period. The triennial cycle allows sufficient time for preparation, collection, validation and transmission. The most recent data collection covered the reference period 2021-2023 and was carried out once during 2024 and 2025.
18.3. Data collection
Data collection is carried out using Statistics Swedens standard survey modes, which include secure online questionnaires. Follow-up procedures such as automated reminders or targeted contacts are used to improve response rates. The collection period lasted around four months (October 2024-January 2025) to allow enterprises sufficient time to complete the questionnaire. Very few enterprises required follow-up contacts to clarify or complete their responses. The response rate when the collection phase finished was 80 percent.
18.4. Data validation
Validation procedures include automated checks for completeness, internal consistency, logical coherence and compliance with the definitions and breakdowns specified in the GVC Implementing Act. Manual review is conducted for flagged cases, inconsistencies and outliers. Validation is performed at both microdata and aggregated levels and incorporates feedback from Eurostat's validation process.
18.5. Data compilation
Data compilation follows the standard procedures for business surveys at Statistics Sweden. Depending on the survey design, weighting factors may be applied to ensure representativeness across industries and size classes. Item non-response is addressed using established imputation methods or auxiliary information from registers. Final aggregates are produced according to the required breakdowns, including activity, business function, type of goods or services and geographical area.
18.6. Adjustment
No seasonal or trend adjustments are applied, as the GVC dataset refers to structural triennial information. Adjustments are limited to validation-related edits, imputation for missing items and outlier treatment where necessary, following standard procedures for structural business statistics.
No additional comments were identified at this stage. Possible future improvements may include expanded use of administrative sources, increased microdata linking and enhancements to follow-up procedures to reduce item non-response.
The GVC dataset contains ten variables defined in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/918. These cover:
(1) employment by business function
(2-5) enterprises purchasing or supplying goods and services abroad
(6) the number of enterprises carrying out international sourcing
(7-8) jobs created and lost resulting from international sourcing
(9) motivations and barriers for sourcing, and
(10) events affecting GVC arrangements.
For variables (2)-(5), the dataset includes only enterprises that report at least EUR 100 000 in goods or services purchased from or supplied abroad in the final year of the reference period.
All data are provided as absolute values and presented by NACE activity, business function, geographical partner area, size class, motivation and barrier types, and other breakdowns required by the regulation.
30 November 2025
All concepts and definitions follow Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/918 and the GVC Compilers’ Manual. International sourcing refers to the partial or full movement of business functions abroad within or outside the enterprise group, during 2021-2023. Variables (2)-(5) apply only to enterprises exceeding the EUR 100 000 threshold for goods/services purchased or supplied abroad. Business functions are divided into core and support categories and specific functional areas (e.g. ICT, management and administration). Motivations and barriers follow the fixed lists provided in the regulation, and importance factors use the standard four-level scale (very important, moderately important, not important, not applicable/do not know).
The statistical unit used for the GVC statistics is the enterprise, as defined in Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 on European business statistics and the Business Register Regulation.
The target population consists of all market-producing enterprises in NACE Sections B-N with at least 50 employees and self-employed persons in the final year of the reference period. For variables (2)-(5), only enterprises reporting at least EUR 100 000 of goods or services purchased from or supplied abroad are included, in line with the Annex of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/918.
The reference area is the national economic territory of Sweden, as defined in Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 for European business statistics. Units located within the national territory and covered by national statistical legislation are included.
The reference period for the GVC statistics is 2021-2023, in accordance with Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/918. Variables cover activities that may have occurred during this three-year period. Variables (1)-(5) refer specifically to the final year of the period (2023). Variables (6)-(10) cover actions that took place at any time between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2023.
Overall accuracy is assessed using checks on coverage, internal coherence and consistency with related business statistics. Most units in the target population provided usable data, and validation procedures reduced the impact of inconsistent responses. Some uncertainty remains for detailed variables, particularly those requiring subjective assessments such as sourcing motives and barriers.
The overall assessment of the quality of the GVC statistics is considered good. The coverage is good for the most important items, questions 3.1 (series 6, international sourcing and follow-up questions) and the unweighted response rate was about 80 percent, which is a significant improvement compared to previous GVC surveys (about 30 percent response rate). The main reason for the improved response rate is that the survey is now mandatory.
It should however be emphasized that it is very complicated (both in the design phase, non-response treatment and due to data systems) to handle enterprises with 2 or more legal units in a statistical survey. More than 70 percent of the enterprises in the GVC-population has 2 or more legal units. To select a proper design that gives unbiased estimates is connected with very high cost to produce statistics and very high response burden for enterprises. To reduce response burden and lower costs a reduced legal units approach was used. All legal units with 50 or more employees was surveyed for the selected enterprises. This lead to undercoverage due directly to the design, in terms of number of persons employed about 5 percent undercoverage. Another problem is that one enterprise can have both responding and non-responding legal unit. In this situation the enterprise is considered to be respondent and all the items for the non-responding legal unit were imputed before consolidating the data to enterprise level.
All variables in the GVC dataset are compiled and transmitted in absolute values, in accordance with the measurement unit specified in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/918. No percentages, indexes, ratios or other derived units are transmitted to Eurostat. This unit applies uniformly to all variables and all breakdowns required by the regulation.
Data compilation follows the standard procedures for business surveys at Statistics Sweden. Depending on the survey design, weighting factors may be applied to ensure representativeness across industries and size classes. Item non-response is addressed using established imputation methods or auxiliary information from registers. Final aggregates are produced according to the required breakdowns, including activity, business function, type of goods or services and geographical area.
The primary data source is a dedicated survey of enterprises in NACE sections B-N with 50 or more persons employed. The sampling or coverage frame is derived from the national statistical business register, which provides core information on economic activity and size class. Register information may also support validation or reduce respondent burden where appropriate.
GVC statistics are collected, compiled and transmitted every three years in accordance with Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/918. National dissemination, where applicable, follows the same triennial cycle and usually takes place after the transmission of data and metadata to Eurostat.
The GVC results for the 2021-2023 reference period were compiled following the legal deadlines set by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/918. The national production schedule provided sufficient time for validation and quality checks. Timeliness and punctuality are monitored as part of the standard national procedures for business statistics.
Geographical comparability is supported by the harmonised definitions, classifications (NACE Rev. 2) and breakdowns specified in the GVC Implementing Act. Methodological guidance from Eurostat ensures a common framework across EU Member States. No national deviations from the European definitions were applied. Minor procedural differences at national level may occur but do not materially affect comparability.
The 2021-2023 cycle is the first official GVC data collection under the European Business Statistics (EBS) Regulation. However, the country has previous experience with voluntary or pilot GVC surveys carried out before the EBS framework. Broad conceptual continuity exists between the earlier exercises and the current official collection, as key definitions, business function categories and geographical breakdowns follow the same methodological foundations. Nevertheless, differences in survey design, sampling approach, questionnaire content or follow-up procedures may limit full comparability with earlier voluntary results. No methodological breaks exist within the 2021-2023 cycle itself.
