Background: A military power during the 17th century Sweden has not participated in any war in almost two centuries. An armed neutrality was preserved in both World Wars. Sweden's long-successful economic formula of a capitalist system interlarded with substantial welfare elements has recently been undermined by high unemployment rising maintenance costs and a declining position in world markets. Indecision over the country's role in the political and economic integration of Europe caused Sweden not to join the EU until 1995 and to forgo the introduction of the euro in 1999.

Geographic coordinates: 62 00 N 15 00 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Comparative: slightly larger than California

Coastline: 3,218 km

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

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

Irrigated land: 1150 km² (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: ice floes in the surrounding waters especially in the Gulf of Bothnia can interfere with maritime traffic

Geography
Note: strategic location along Danish Straits linking Baltic and North Seas

Population: 8,873,052 (July 2000 est.)
Growth rate: 0.02% (2000 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Ethnic groups: indigenous population: Swedes and Finnish and Lapp (Sami) minorities; foreign-born or first-generation immigrants: Finns Yugoslavs Danes Norwegians Greeks Turks

Languages: Swedish

Religions: Lutheran 87% Roman Catholic Orthodox Baptist Muslim Jewish Buddhist

Population growth rate: 0.02% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 10.01 births/1000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 10.62 deaths/1000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.86 migrant(s)/1000 population (2000 est.)

Environment
Current issues: acid rain damaging soils and lakes; pollution of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea

Infant mortality rate: 3.49 deaths/1000 live births (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.53 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Government type: constitutional monarchy

Capital: Stockholm

Administrative divisions: 21 counties (lan singular and plural); Blekinge Dalarnas Gavleborgs Gotlands Hallands Jamtlands Jonkopings Kalmar Kronobergs Norrbottens Orebro Ostergotlands Skane Sodermanlands Stockholms Uppsala Varmlands Vasterbottens Vasternorrlands Vastmanlands Vastra Gotalands

Independence: 6 June 1523 (Gustav VASA elected king)

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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Riksdag (349 seats; members are elected by popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Hogsta Domstolen judges are appointed by the government (prime minister and cabinet)

Political parties and leaders: Center Party [Lennart DALEUS]; Christian Democratic Party [Alf SVENSSON]; Communist Workers' Party [Rolf HAGEL]; Green Party [no formal leader but party spokesperson is Briger SCHLAUG]; Left Party or VP (formerly Communist) [Gudrun SCHYMAN]; Liberal People's Party [Lars LEIJONBORG]; Moderate Party (conservative) [Bo LUNDGREN]; New Democracy Party [Vivianne FRANZEN]; Social Democratic Party [Goran PERSSON]

International organization participation: AfDB AsDB Australia Group BIS CBSS CCC CE CERN EAPC EBRD ECE EIB ESA EU FAO G- 6 G- 9 G-10 IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICFTU ICRM IDA IEA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO Inmarsat Intelsat Interpol IOC IOM ISO ITU MINURSO MONUC NAM (guest) NC NEA NIB NSG OAS (observer) OECD OPCW OSCE PCA PFP UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNIKOM UNMIBH UNMIK UNMOGIP UNMOP UNOMIG UNTAET UNTSO UPU WEU (observer) WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTrO ZC

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)

Economy overview: Aided by peace and neutrality for the whole twentieth century 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 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. Agriculture accounts for only 2% of GDP and 2% of the jobs. In recent years however this extraordinarily favorable picture has been clouded by budgetary difficulties inflation high unemployment and a gradual loss of competitiveness in international markets. Sweden has harmonized its economic policies with those of the EU which it joined at the start of 1995. Sweden decided not to join the euro system at its outset in January 1999 but plans to hold a referendum in 2000 on whether to join. GDP growth is forecast for 4% in 2000 buttressed by solid consumer confidence.

Real gdp growth rate: 3.8% (1999 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $20,700 (1999 est.)

Agriculture products: grains sugar beets potatoes; meat milk

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: 3% (1999 est.)

Labor force: 4.3 million (1996)
By occupation agriculture: 2%
By occupation industry: 24%
By occupation services: 74% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate: 5.5% plus about 5% in training programs (1999 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 0.4% (1999 est.)

Exports: $85.7 billion (f.o.b. 1999)
Commodities: machinery 35% motor vehicles paper products pulp and wood iron and steel products chemicals
Partners: EU 57% (Germany 11% UK 9% Denmark 6% Finland 5%) Norway 9% US 9% (1998)

Imports: $67.9 billion (f.o.b. 1999)
Commodities: machinery petroleum and petroleum products chemicals motor vehicles iron and steel; foodstuffs clothing
Partners: EU 68% (Germany 19% UK 10% Denmark 6% France 6%) Norway 8% US 6% (1998)

Debt external: $66.5 billion (1994)

Exchange rates: Swedish kronor (SKr) per US$1 - 8.4831 (January 2000) 8.2624 (1999) 7.9499 (1998) 7.6349 (1997) 6.7060 (1996) 7.1333 (1995)

Electricity
Production: 156.772 billion kWh (1998)
Consumption: 135.098 billion kWh (1998)
Exports: 16.8 billion kWh (1998)
Imports: 6.1 billion kWh (1998)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 6.017 million (December 1998)
Mobile cellular: 3.835 million (October 1998)

Telephone system: excellent domestic and international facilities; automatic system

Internet
Service providers isps: 29 (1999)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $5 billion (FY98)
Percent of gdp: 2.1% (FY98)

Airports: 256 (1999 est.)

Heliports: 1 (1999 est.)

Pipelines: natural gas 84 km

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

Disputes international: none