SwedPop has been awarded SEK 29,970,000 in funding from Riksbankens Jubileumsfond (RJ) to further develop Sweden’s national data infrastructure for historical population research. The grant will support major advancements in automated transcription, data linkage, and long‑term accessibility of historical individual‑level data.
The project aims to expand both the scope and availability of Swedish historical population data—an important national research infrastructure asset. As a first step, SwedPop will transcribe and make available all Swedish birth registers from 1800 to 1899 through the implementation of machine‑learning methods for automated handwritten text recognition. This will significantly increase access to key historical sources and enable new forms of large‑scale analysis.
Together with existing databases containing information on mortality and emigration, the newly transcribed birth records will be used to develop and implement a method for generating a historical personal identification number. This identifier will provide a consistent way to connect individuals across multiple historical datasets, facilitating more comprehensive analyses while strengthening the scientific integrity, transparency, and reproducibility of research based on historical individual‑level data.
In addition, the project will develop and make available a machine‑learning‑based pipeline for the linkage of historical population data. This pipeline is expected to improve linkage quality within existing datasets and to substantially streamline and standardise the linkage of historical individual data produced both now and in future projects.
Finally, the RJ‑funded initiative will establish a long‑term, sustainable model for data storage and access. Tested and standardised protocols for data security and preservation, combined with innovative web‑based interfaces for data extraction, will ensure reliable and uninterrupted access to data and functionalities over time.
Through this investment from Riksbankens Jubileumsfond, SwedPop will significantly strengthen Sweden’s national research infrastructure for historical population data and enable new, high‑quality research across the humanities and social sciences.