The teenager attacked Alexandra Mezher, 22, on Monday morning at a center for unaccompanied migrant children between ages 14-17 in a town on Sweden's west coast. Mezher died at the hospital.
Police have not released any details about the suspect's nationality or his motive.
"These kinds of calls are becoming more and more common," said police spokesman Thomas Fuxborg. "We're dealing with more incidents like these since the arrival of so many more refugees from abroad."
Sweden has struggled with a record influx of migrants and asylum seekers. According to the Swedish Migration Agency, the number of threats and violent incidents at asylum facilities rose from 148 incidents in 2014 to 322 last year.
National Police Commissioner Dan Eliasson requested 4,100 additional officers and support staff to help counter terrorism, carry out migrant deportations and patrol asylum facilities.
"We are forced to respond to many disturbances in asylum reception centres. In some places, this takes significant police resources. This was not the case six months ago and it means that we won't be able to respond as effectively in other areas," Eliasson said.
Arson attacks against asylum shelters have surged, with at least two dozen centers destroyed or damaged by fire in 2015.
"It is obvious that the migrant situation is a great strain. It has become clear that the situation is completely unsustainable," police union director Lena Nitz said.
Greater attention is being focused on allegations of violence by young migrants in Europe, with some countries expressing doubt as to their ability to integrate them into society.
A country of 9.8 million people, Sweden took in over 160,000 asylum seekers in 2015, putting it among EU states with the highest proportion of refugees per capita. It has since tightened its criteria for asylum.
