Jan Olov Karlsson (born 1 June 1939 in Stockholm), Swedish politician, former President of the European Court of Auditors, and former Minister for Development Cooperation, Migration and Asylum Policy.

He studied economics, political science and history at Stockholm University, before becoming an undersecretary at the Ministry of Agriculture in 1962. In 1968 he transferred to the Office of the Prime Minister where he worked as an advisor. From 1973 he served as secretary to the Deputy Mayor of Stockholm and in 1977 he became the deputy secretary for the presidency of the Nordic Council. Following the election in 1982, when the Social Democrats returned to power, he was made state secretary at the Ministry of Finance. Following the election in 1988 he was made chairman for the government commission of inquiry on metropolitan areas, and in 1990 once again became an adviser and coordinator at the Prime Minister's Office.

Between 1991 and 1994 Mr. Karlsson worked as an advisor for the party parliamentary group. Jan O. Karlsson was nominated by the Swedish Government as its representative to the European Court of Auditors in 1995, and on 18 January 1999 he became President of the Court. He held this position until 31 December 2001 when he took on a cabinet post.