Map of Sweden | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Having long lost its military prowess of the 17th century, Sweden has evolved into a prosperous and peaceful constitutional monarchy with a capitalist system interlarded with substantial welfare elements. As the 20th century comes to an end, this long successful formula is being undermined by high unemployment; the rising cost of a "cradle to the grave" welfare state; the decline of Sweden's competitive position in world markets; and indecision over the country's role in the political and economic integration of Europe.


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Location:

Geographic coordinates

Map reference:

Area
Total: 449,964 km²
Land: 410,928 km²

Land boundaries: total 2,205 km, Finland 586 km, Norway 1,619 km

Coastline: 3,218 km
Continental shelf: 200 m depth or to depth of exploitation
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Maritime claims

Climate: temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly cloudy summers; subarctic in north

Terrain: mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west

Elevation

Natural resources: zinc, iron ore, lead, copper, silver, timber, uranium, hydropower potential

Land use
Arable land: 7%
Permanent crops: 0%
Meadows and pastures: 2%
Forest and woodland: 64%
Other: 27%

Irrigated land: 1,120 km² (1989 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


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Population: 8,730,286 (July 1993 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Swede(s)
Adjective: Swedish

Ethnic groups: white, Lapp, foreign born or first-generation immigrants 12% (Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks)

Languages: Swedish

Religions: Evangelical Lutheran 94%, Roman Catholic 1.5%, Pentecostal 1%, other 3.5% (1987)

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 13.78 births/1000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate: 10.96 deaths/1000 population (1993 est.)

Net migration rate: 2.97 migrant(s)/1000 population (1993 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: water pollution; acid rain
Current issues note: strategic location along Danish Straits linking Baltic and North Seas

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 5.8 deaths/1000 live births (1993 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 78.08 years
Male: 75.3 years
Female: 81.02 years (1993 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.04 children born/woman (1993 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1979)
Total population: 99%
Male: NA%
Female: NA%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Kingdom of Sweden
Conventional short form: Sweden
Local short form: Sverige

Government type: constitutional monarchy

Capital: Stockholm

Administrative divisions:

Dependent areas

Independence: 6 June 1809 (constitutional monarchy established)

National holiday: Day of the Swedish Flag, 6 June

Constitution: 1 January 1975

Legal system: civil law system influenced by customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: monarch, prime minister, Cabinet

Legislative branch: unicameral parliament (Riksdag)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Hogsta Domstolen)

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Carl Henrik LILJEGREN
In the us chancery: Suite 1200 and 715, 600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,037
In the us telephone: (202) 944-5,600
In the us fax: (202) 342-1319
In the us consulates general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
From the us chief of mission: (vacant)
From the us embassy: Strandvagen 101, S-115 89 Stockholm
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us telephone: 46 (8) 783-5,300
From the us fax: 46 (8) 661-1964

Flag description: blue with a yellow cross that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Aided by a long period of peace and neutrality during World War I through World War II, Sweden has achieved an enviable standard of living under a mixed system of high-tech capitalism and extensive welfare benefits. It has a modern distribution system, excellent internal and external communications, and a skilled labor force. Timber, hydropower, and iron ore constitute the resource base of an economy that is heavily oriented toward foreign trade. Privately owned firms account for about 90% of industrial output, of which the engineering sector accounts for 50% of output and exports. In the last few years, however, this extraordinarily favorable picture has been clouded by inflation, growing unemployment, and a gradual loss of competitiveness in international markets. Although Prime Minister BILDT'S center-right minority coalition had hoped to charge ahead with free-market-oriented reforms, a skyrocketing budget deficit - almost 13% of GDP in FY94 projections - and record unemployment have forestalled many of the plans. Unemployment in 1993 is forecast at around 7% with another 5% in job training. Continued heavy foreign exchange speculation forced the government to cooperate in late 1992 with the opposition Social Democrats on two crisis packages - one a severe austerity pact and the other a program to spur industrial competitiveness - which basically set economic policy through 1997. In November 1992, Sweden broke its tie to the EC's ECU, and the krona has since depreciated around 2.5% against the dollar. The government hopes the in the economy, BILDT continues to propose cuts in welfare benefits, subsidies, defense, and foreign aid. Sweden continues to harmonize its economic policies with those of the EC in preparation for concluding its EC membership bid by 1995.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: -1.7% (1992)

Real gdp per capita: $16,900 (1992)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: animal husbandry predominates, with milk and dairy products accounting for 37% of farm income; main crops - grains, sugar beets, potatoes; 100% self-sufficient in grains and potatoes; Sweden is about 50% self-sufficient in most products; farming accounted for 1.2% of GDP and 1.9% of jobs in 1990

Industries: iron and steel, precision equipment (bearings, radio and telephone parts, armaments), wood pulp and paper products, processed foods, motor vehicles

Industrial production growth rate: growth rate -3.0% (1992)

Labor force: 4.552 million
By occupation community socialandpersonalservices: 38.3%
By occupation mining and manufacturing: 21.2%
By occupation commerce hotels andrestaurants: 14.1%
By occupation banking insurance: 9.0%
By occupation communications: 7.2%
By occupation construction: 7.0%
By occupation agriculture fishing andforestry: 3.2% (1991)

Unemployment rate: 5.3% (1992)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $70.4 billion; expenditures $82.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY92)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $56 billion (f.o.b., 1992)
Commodoties: machinery, motor vehicles, paper products, pulp and wood, iron and steel products, chemicals, petroleum and petroleum products
Partners: EC 55.8% (Germany 15%, UK 9.7%, Denmark 7.2%, France 5.8%), EFTA 17.4% (Norway 8.4%, Finland 5.1%), US 8.2%, Central and Eastern Europe 2.5% (1992)

Imports: $51.7 billion (c.i.f., 1992)
Commodoties: machinery, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, motor vehicles, foodstuffs, iron and steel, clothing
Partners:

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Swedish kronor (SKr) per US$1 - 6.8812 (December 1992), 5.8238 (1992), 6.0475 (1991) 5.9188 (1990), 6.4469 (1989), 6.1272 (1988)


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Electricity
Production: 39,716,000 kW capacity; 142,500 million kWh produced, 16,560 kWh per capita (1992)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: exchange rate conversion - $6.7 billion, 3.8% of GDP (FY92/93)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 253
Usable: 250
With permanentsurface runways: 139
With runways over 3659 m: 0
With runways 2440-3659 m: 12
With runways 1220-2439 m: 94

Heliports

Pipelines: natural gas 84 km

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 2,052 km navigable for small steamers and barges

Merchant marine:

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: increasingly used as transshipment point for Latin American cocaine to Europe and gateway for Asian heroin shipped via the CIS and Baltic states for the European market