This paper presents a numerical investigation of the influence of the blade back sweep angle on the performance and flow characteristics in a centrifugal compressor with a vaneless diffuser. Five impellers with different back sweep angles were tested in the flow simulations. It was found that a low back sweep angle could improve the total-to-total pressure ratio and the work coefficient over whole operating ranges. However, the flow field in an impeller with a low back sweep angle produced a more non-uniform velocity distribution at the impeller exit because the wake region was significantly increased. As a consequence, the impeller with a low back sweep angle caused a low diffuser performance.