Sjöbo started growing when it became a stop on the railway between Malmö (to the west) and Simrishamn (to the east) in the early 20th century. Today the town of Sjöbo cannot be reached by rail, but a road through central Scania crosses the municipality and town, while another large road from east to west also crosses it.
The town is also associated with many cases of opposition to immigration (see Refugee controversy in Sjöbo). In the 2010 election, the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats received 16% of the vote, the highest of any municipality.[3] and also the highest results in the new elections of 2014 with 30%,[4] 40% in 2018, and 43% in 2022.[1]