Sweden's current account surplus decreased to 38.8 billion kronor (about 6.1 billion U.S. dollars) in the second quarter from 77.6 billion (about 12.2 billion U.S. dollars) in the quarter before, Statistics Sweden said Friday.

A negative return on capital is the major reason for the current account surplus being halved compared to the quarter before, the agency said in a statement.

Income from portfolio investments in Sweden contributed to the large net outflow due to Swedish companies primarily giving out dividends during the second quarter, it added.

The decline of trade surplus in the second quarter is another reason for the current account surplus sharp fall, according to the agency.