Ratio

What Ratio does

Ratio (legal name: Ratio, doing business as Ratio Institut and branded as Näringslivets forskningsinstitut) is a Sweden-domiciled independent interdisciplinary research institute founded in 2002 and headquartered at Sveavägen 59 in central Stockholm. The institute studies the conditions for business and enterprise in Sweden through three programmatic research areas: labor market, climate and environment, and competitiveness. Its core "products" are research outputs rather than commercial software — specifically, peer-reviewed publications and reports, the Ratio Working Paper Series (over 300 studies published to date), open seminars and conferences, the RatioTV video channel on YouTube, and the annually co-organized Eli F. Heckscher Lecture with EHFF at Handelshögskolan. The institute also runs the Unga forskare (Young Researchers) program, a talent-development pipeline with over 140 alumni that feeds summer assistants, research assistants, interns, and industrial PhD candidates (the latter through a partnership with Örebro University) into Sweden's economics and social-science research ecosystem.

The business model is membership-based and not commercial software. Ratio generates revenue primarily through annual membership fees paid by Swedish companies, non-profits, and private individuals: 10,000 SEK for individuals and companies with up to 50 employees, 30,000 SEK for non-profit organizations, and 50,000 SEK for companies with more than 50 employees, with half of corporate and non-profit fees constituting a VAT-liable service charge. A separate newsletter-and-publications subscription is available at the service-charge portion only. Supplemental revenue comes from research collaborations funded through partners such as WASP-HS and Örebro University, and from researcher presentations and consulting delivered to corporate members. Go-to-market is enterprise relationship-driven (Karl Hatt leads membership outreach), and distribution of research outputs is via the website, email, seminars, and YouTube.

The organization is led by CEO Charlotta Stern (appointed September 2021, professor of sociology at Stockholm University) together with Vice CEO Jonas Grafström, with approximately 25 staff. Sub-brands include Unga forskare, RatioTV, the Ratio Working Paper Series, and the Eli F. Heckscher-föreläsning. There are no disclosed funding rounds, subsidiaries, M&A activity, or parent-company ownership; corporate filings show Swedish organization number 802002-5212. The institute has no commercial technology platform, no apps, and no public APIs.

Name

Ratio

Legal name

Ratio

Website

https://ratio.se

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ratio is an independent Swedish research institute founded in 2002 that studies the conditions for business and enterprise, serving corporate members, non-profits, and individuals through research publications, the Young Researchers program, seminars, and policy advisory work.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic and Policy Research Services

NAICS

Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Other Publishers (51319)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom) (BPAHALAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Conference Proceedings & Research Reports Publishing (EDAGAFAL), Interdisciplinary & Multidisciplinary Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAI)

Keywords

• Economic research services
• Policy research consulting
• Labor market research
• Research publications
• Applied social science research

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockholm

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees and service charges: Ratio generates revenue primarily through annual membership fees from companies, organizations, and private individuals. Corporate members with more than 50 employees pay 50,000 SEK per year; small businesses and private individuals pay 10,000 SEK; non-profit organizations pay 30,000 SEK. Half of the fee for companies and non-profits constitutes a service charge (VAT liable). Companies and organizations can also subscribe to newsletters and publications without full membership by paying only the service charge.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ratio is an independent interdisciplinary research institute that produces and disseminates research on the conditions for business and enterprise in Sweden. It publishes reports and working papers, organizes seminars and the Eli F. Heckscher Lecture, runs a Young Researchers talent program, and delivers researcher presentations and consulting to its members across three research areas: labor market, climate and environment, and competitiveness.

Product overview

Ratio is an independent interdisciplinary research institute that researches the conditions for business and enterprise in Sweden. The organization operates as a single unified research institution rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Its core offerings consist of research publications (including reports, working papers, and peer-reviewed articles), the Young Researchers Program (Unga forskare) which includes summer positions, internships, research assistants, and doctoral positions, public seminars and events, the RatioTV video platform, and collaborative research initiatives such as AI-Econ Lab. The institute focuses on three main research areas: labor market, climate and environment, and competitiveness.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Unga forskare: Program for young researchers including summer assistants, research assistants, interns, and doctoral candidates with over 140 alumni
• RatioTV
• Ratio Working Paper Series
• Eli F. Heckscher-föreläsning

Products and services

• Annual Membership (Corporate, Individual, Non-profit tiers) Annual subscription memberships that grant Swedish companies, private individuals, and non-profit organizations access to Ratio's research publications, working papers, events, and direct engagement with researchers. Corporate members with more than 50 employees pay 50,000 SEK/year; non-profits pay 30,000 SEK/year; individuals and companies with up to 50 employees pay 10,000 SEK/year. Half of the fee for companies and non-profits is a VAT-liable service charge.

Quantifiable outcome

• The Young Researchers program has produced over 140 alumni, many of whom have gone on to PhD positions or careers in research.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Institute for Economic and Business History Research (EHFF) at Handelshögskolan i StockholmcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Ratio co-organizes the annual Eli F. Heckscher Lecture with EHFF at Handelshögskolan in Stockholm. This prestigious lecture series has been held annually since 2008 and has featured several Nobel laureates in economics, including Paul Romer (2018).
• AI-Econ LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAI-Econ Lab is listed as a collaboration partner of Ratio. Ratio researchers including Lydia Löthman are affiliated with this research environment. The lab focuses on AI's effects on the economy and labor markets, and research conducted within it is published by Ratio.
• Örebro universitet (Örebro University)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRatio collaborates with Örebro universitet on an industrial PhD program (industridoktorand). PhD candidates are employed at Ratio and conduct their doctoral studies at Örebro University. This enables joint supervision and shared research infrastructure between the two institutions.
• WASP-HS (Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program – Humanities and Society)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWASP-HS is a research program that funds and supports research on AI and autonomous systems from a humanities and social science perspective. Lydia Löthman, a Ratio-affiliated researcher, is affiliated with WASP-HS and conducts AI and labor market research within this program.
• The Swedish Institute in AthensminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA collaboration partner referenced in the context of Annika Olén's research visit. The institute operates a guest house in the northern Greek city of Kavalla and is used to support research stays for scholars funded by Ratio's Young Researcher scholarships.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• WIFO (Austrian Institute of Economic Research): Austrian independent economic research institute with a similar industry-and-sector research mission; comparable peer in European small-country economic research context.
• Konjunkturinstitutet (Swedish National Institute of Economic Research): Swedish government economic research agency producing forecasts and analysis; comparable in producing Sweden-focused economic research, though publicly funded rather than membership-supported.

Emerging players

• Bruegel: European economic think tank with member-supported model and policy research output; comparable in its independent European economics research and member-funded governance.
• Institutet för Framtidsstudier (Institute for Futures Studies): Swedish interdisciplinary research institute producing independent research for policy debate; comparable in its Swedish, interdisciplinary, independent research profile.

Broad incumbents

• RAND Corporation: Large US-based independent research institution with policy impact across multiple sectors; comparable as an independent research institution, though at vastly greater scale and scope than Ratio.
• Brookings Institution: Established US think tank producing independent research on economics and policy; comparable as a member/donor-supported research institute with strong policy-relevance orientation.

Direct peers

• SNS (Center for Business and Policy Studies): Swedish membership-based forum that produces policy-relevant research on business and society; comparable to Ratio in member-supported research model and Swedish policy orientation.
• CEPR (Centre for Economic Policy Research): European network of economists producing independent policy-relevant research; comparable in member-supported model and emphasis on business/competitiveness research.
• IFN (Institutet för Näringslivsforskning / Research Institute of Industrial Economics): Swedish independent research institute focused on industrial economics, business conditions, and policy — directly comparable to Ratio in mission, scope, and member-supported operating model in Sweden.
• IZA Institute of Labor Economics: International research network focused on labor economics with independent research outputs; closely comparable to Ratio's labor-market research focus and policy-relevance model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Ratioforskning/videos
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ratio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ratio