Two perspectives sharpen the question

While Talent City Index Sweden 2025 captures people’s preferences for where they would like to live or work, Nordregio’s State of the Nordic Region 2026 (Heleniak & Berbert Bruno, 2026) shows how Nordic regions are actually developing demographically: which are growing, which are ageing and which are losing population. For municipalities and regions working with talent attraction, placing the two perspectives side by side raises a sharper question: are the municipalities people most want to live or work in located in regions with demographic tailwinds, or are they part of a context where the population is instead declining?

This is an important distinction. In a growing region, attractiveness can become an accelerator. It reinforces a development that is already moving in the right direction. In a region with population decline, the same attractiveness takes on a different strategic meaning: it may be more about holding ground, strengthening their position and creating confidence in the future despite a tougher demographic playing field.

Talent City Index

In Talent City Index Sweden 2025, Stockholm ranks first: 34.7 percent of respondents selected Stockholm as one of the municipalities where they would most like to live or work. Gothenburg follows in second place with 33.5 percent, and Uppsala ranks third with 18.3 percent. Sundsvall is further down the list, in 25th place with 8.0 percent. It is included here because it shows a different type of regional playing field: a municipality with a visible position in the Talent City Index, but located in a county where the wider demographic context is more challenging (Future Place Leadership, 2025).

Looking across three years, it is also clear that attractiveness moves faster than demography. Gothenburg was at the top of the Talent City Index Sweden in both 2023 and 2024, while Stockholm took over first place in 2025. Uppsala ranked fourth in 2023, fell to eighth place in 2024 and is now back in third place (Future Place Leadership, 2023, 2024, 2025). This shows that a municipality’s attractiveness can shift relatively quickly: it can strengthen, weaken, and recover. Population development, on the other hand, moves more slowly — and that is exactly why the comparison with Nordregio becomes interesting.

State of the Nordic region 2026

When the results of the Talent City Index are compared with Nordregio’s picture of population development, the difference between tailwinds and headwinds becomes clear. The Stockholm region increased its population by 51 percent between 1990 and 2024. Uppsala grew by 54 percent, which Nordregio highlights as the strongest regional population growth in Sweden during the period. Västernorrland, the county where Sundsvall is located, moved in the opposite direction, with a population decline of 7.3 percent (Heleniak & Berbert Bruno, 2026).

For Stockholm and Uppsala, two different pictures therefore point in the same direction. The municipalities rank very highly in Talent City Index Sweden 2025, while also being located in regions with strong long-term population growth. This is attractiveness with demographic tailwinds.

Demographic Tailwinds

Demographic tailwinds make a municipality’s position particularly strong. Attractiveness is not only about many people saying they would like to live and work there. It also aligns with a broader movement in which the population has in fact grown strongly over time. For municipalities in this position, the strategic question becomes how attractiveness can be used to grow smartly: with housing, services, labour markets and living environments that make people not only want to move there, but also able and willing to stay.

Demographic Headwinds

Sundsvall illustrates a different type of demographic reality. It should not be read simply as a municipality in decline. As the largest municipality in Västernorrland, Sundsvall may function as a regional anchor even when the wider county is losing population. That is precisely why the comparison is interesting: the municipality has a visible position in Talent City Index Sweden 2025, while the surrounding regional context is demographically weaker.

For Sundsvall, attractiveness is therefore not only about competing with the municipalities at the top of the national ranking. It is also about strengthening the role of the regional centre, attracting selected target groups and counteracting the wider demographic headwinds around it.

This makes the comparison important for municipalities and regions working with talent attraction. The question is not only: how attractive are we? The question is also: what demographic reality are we operating in?

Attractiveness Depending on the Wind

The conclusion is straightforward: strong attractiveness is always an asset, but it does not mean the same thing everywhere.

For municipalities in growing regions, the task is to turn attractiveness into sustainable growth — with housing, infrastructure, labour-market capacity and services that make it possible for people not only to move there, but to stay.

For municipalities in regions with population decline, the task is different. Attractiveness becomes a tool for defending the position, strengthening the role of the regional centre, targeting specific groups and changing the story from decline to possibility.

The real winners of the future are therefore not simply the municipalities most people dream of. They are the municipalities that understand what their attractiveness needs to do.

Article written by Gabriella Schelin, Data Analyst, Future Place Leadership

References

Future Place Leadership. (2023). Talent City Index Sweden 2023. Talent City Index.

Future Place Leadership. (2024). Talent City Index Sverige 2024. Talent City Index.

Future Place Leadership. (2025). Talent City Index Sverige 2025. Talent City Index.

Heleniak, T., & Berbert Bruno, K. (2026). Population change in the Nordic Region. In M. Bobrinskaya & T. Niedomysl (Eds.), State of the Nordic Region 2026 (Nordregio Report 2026:2). Nordregio. https://doi.org/10.6027/R2026:2.1403-2503

The post Attractive places – different futures: Attractiveness moves faster than demography first appeared on Future Place Leadership.

If you haven’t read it yet, the first article ‘An Introduction: How to Leverage AI & ChatGPT in Talent Attraction?’ offers a simplified overview on the basics of the topic and discusses potential applications.

This article is by Sam Khosravi, Future Place Leadership‘s Data Analyst, and resident smart guy.

ChatGPT and regional promotion

Place branding plays a vital role in attracting businesses, tourists, and residents to a specific region. ChatGPT can significantly enhance place branding efforts by generating engaging content and delivering targeted messaging that highlights the unique offerings of a location. Here’s how:

1. Authentic Storytelling

ChatGPT can create compelling narratives that capture the essence of a region, showcasing its history, culture, and local attractions. By crafting stories that resonate with the target audience, ChatGPT can help establish a strong and memorable place brand. You can essentially generate a brand identity within minutes, which has significant potential particularly for smaller, less known regions and municipalities without big marketing budgets and teams. Yes, building a brand will still require a human marketeer to orchestrate, strategise and manage the project, but ChatGPT can help tremendously where marketing resources are scarce.

2. Tailored Messaging

ChatGPT can analyze audience demographics and preferences to generate customized messages that cater to their interests. This targeted approach ensures that promotional content resonates with the intended audience, increasing the likelihood of a positive response.

3. Multilingual Content

ChatGPT’s ability to generate content in multiple languages enables place branding efforts to reach a broader audience. By breaking down language barriers, ChatGPT can help attract international businesses, tourists, and residents to a specific region.

4. Engaging Social Media Campaigns

ChatGPT can create shareable content for social media platforms, driving engagement and expanding the reach of place branding campaigns. By leveraging popular social media trends and creating captivating visuals, ChatGPT can increase the visibility of a region on a global scale.

5. Real-time Updates and Information

ChatGPT can be employed to provide real-time updates on local events, news, and developments. This ensures that potential visitors, businesses, and residents have access to the most up-to-date information about the region.

6. Virtual Assistants for Destination Promotion

ChatGPT can power virtual assistants that answer questions and provide information about a region’s attractions, accommodations, and activities. By offering personalized recommendations and assistance, ChatGPT can enhance the overall experience for potential visitors and investors.

By integrating ChatGPT into place branding strategies, regions can benefit from AI-generated content and targeted messaging that effectively promotes their unique offerings. This innovative approach can help attract businesses, tourists, and residents, contributing to the overall growth and prosperity of the region.

Interested in utilising AI and ChatGPT in your organisation but not sure where to start or how to go about it? We can help you with that, let’s chat!

The post Regional Promotion with AI-Generated Content and Targeted Messaging first appeared on Future Place Leadership.