Background: A military power during the 17th century, Sweden has not participated in any war for two centuries. An armed neutrality was preserved in both World Wars. Since then, Sweden has pursued a successful economic formula consisting of a capitalist system intermixed with substantial welfare elements. Sweden joined the EU in 1995, but the public rejected the introduction of the euro in a 2003 referendum. The share of Sweden’s population born abroad increased from 11.3% in 2000 to 19.1% in 2018.

Geographic coordinates: 62 00 N, 15 00 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 450,295 km²
Land: 410,335 km²
Water: 39,960 km²
Rank: 57
Comparative: almost three times the size of Georgia; slightly larger than California

Land boundaries
Total: 2,211 km
Border countries: (2) Finland 545 km; , Norway 1666 km

Coastline: 3,218 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm (adjustments made to return a portion of straits to high seas)

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
Mean elevation: 320 m
Lowest point: reclaimed bay of Lake Hammarsjon, near Kristianstad -2.4 m
Highest point: Kebnekaise 2,111 m

Natural resources: iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, gold, silver, tungsten, uranium, arsenic, feldspar, timber, hydropower

Land use
Agricultural land: 7.5% (2011 est.)
Forest: 68.7% (2011 est.)
Other: 23.8% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land: 1640 km² (2012)

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; Sweden has almost 100,000 lakes, the largest of which, Vanern, is the third largest in Europe

Population
Distribution: most Swedes live in the south where the climate is milder and there is better connectivity to mainland Europe; population clusters are found all along the Baltic coast in the east; the interior areas of the north remain sparsely populated: 10,202,491 (July 2020 est.)
Rank: 91
Growth rate: 0.79% (2020 est.)
Growth rate rank: 129
Below poverty line: 15% (2014 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Swede(s)
Adjective: Swedish

Ethnic groups: Swedish 80.9%, Syrian 1.8%, Finnish 1.4%, Iraqi 1.4%, other 14.5% (2018 est.)
Note: data represent the population by country of birth; the indigenous Sami people are estimated to number between 20,000 and 40,000

Languages: Swedish (official)
Note: Finnish, Sami, Romani, Yiddish, and Meankieli are official minority languages

Religions: Church of Sweden (Lutheran) 60.2%, other (includes Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist) 8.5%, none or unspecified 31.3% (2017 est.)
Note: estimates reflect registered members of faith communities eligible for state funding (not all religions are state-funded and not all people who identify with a particular religion are registered members); an estimated 57.7% of Sweden's population were members of the Church of Sweden in 2018

Age structure
0-14 years: 17.71% (male 928,413/female 878,028)
15-24 years: 10.8% (male 569,082/female 532,492)
25-54 years: 39.01% (male 2,016,991/female 1,962,617)
55-64 years: 11.9% (male 610,521/female 603,795)
65 years and over: 20.59% (male 974,410/female 1,126,142) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 61.2
Youth dependency ratio: 28.4
Elderly dependency ratio: 32.8
Potential support ratio: 3.1 (2020 est.)

Median age
Total: 41.1 years
Male: 40.1 years
Female: 42.1 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 47

Population growth rate: 0.79% (2020 est.)
Rank: 129

Birth rate: 12.1 births/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 160

Death rate: 9.4 deaths/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 49

Net migration rate: 5.2 migrant(s)/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 22

Population distribution: most Swedes live in the south where the climate is milder and there is better connectivity to mainland Europe; population clusters are found all along the Baltic coast in the east; the interior areas of the north remain sparsely populated

Urbanization
Urban population: 88% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 1.05% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 1.633 million STOCKHOLM (capital) (2020)

Environment
Current issues: marine pollution (Baltic Sea and North Sea); acid rain damage to soils and lakes; air pollution; inappropriate timber harvesting practices
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female
Total population: 1 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 29.3 years (2015 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 2.6 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 2.9 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 2.3 deaths/1000 live births (2020 est.)
Rank: 219

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 82.4 years
Male: 80.4 years
Female: 84.5 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 18

Total fertility rate: 1.87 children born/woman (2020 est.)
Rank: 137

Drinking water source
Urban: 0% of population
Rural: 0% of population
Total: 0% of population (2017 est.)

Current health expenditure: 11% (2017)

Physicians density: 3.98 physicians/1000 population (2016)

Hospital bed density: 2.2 beds/1000 population (2017)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 0% of population
Rural: 0% of population
Total: 0% of population (2017 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2016 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 111
People living with hivaids: 11,000 (2016 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 100
Deaths note: NA

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 20.6% (2016)
Rank: 97

Education expenditures: 7.6% of GDP (2017)
Rank: 10

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 20 years
Male: 19 years
Female: 21 years (2018)

Country name
Conventional long form: Kingdom of Sweden
Conventional short form: Sweden
Local long form: Konungariket Sverige
Local short form: Sverige
Etymology: name ultimately derives from the North Germanic Svear tribe, which inhabited central Sweden and is first mentioned in the first centuries A.D.

Government type: parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Capital
Name: Stockholm
Geographic coordinates: 59 20 N, 18 03 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October: etymology: 'stock' and 'holm' literally mean 'log' and 'islet' in Swedish, but there is no consensus as to what the words refer to

Administrative divisions: 21 counties (lan, singular and plural); Blekinge, Dalarna, Gavleborg, Gotland, Halland, Jamtland, Jonkoping, Kalmar, Kronoberg, Norrbotten, Orebro, Ostergotland, Skane, Sodermanland, Stockholm, Uppsala, Varmland, Vasterbotten, Vasternorrland, Vastmanland, Vastra Gotaland

Independence: 6 June 1523 (Gustav VASA elected king of Sweden, marking the abolishment of the Kalmar Union between Denmark, Norway, and Sweden)

National holiday: National Day, 6 June (1983); note - from 1916 to 1982 this date was celebrated as Swedish Flag Day

Constitution
History: several previous; latest adopted 1 January 1975
Amendments: proposed by Parliament; passage requires simple majority vote in two consecutive parliamentary terms with an intervening general election; passage also requires approval by simple majority vote in a referendum if Parliament approves a motion for a referendum by one third of its members; amended several times, last in 2014 (changes to the Instrument of Government)

Legal system: civil law system influenced by Roman-Germanic law and customary law

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: the father must be a citizen of Sweden; in the case of a child born out of wedlock, the mother must be a citizen of Sweden and the father unknown
Dual citizenship recognized: no, unless the other citizenship was acquired involuntarily
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: King CARL XVI GUSTAF (since 15 September 1973); Heir Apparent Princess VICTORIA Ingrid Alice Desiree (daughter of the monarch, born 14 July 1977)
Head of government: Prime Minister Stefan LOFVEN (since 3 October 2014); Deputy Prime Minister Isabella LOVIN (since 25 May 2016); note - Prime Minister Stefan LOFVEN was ousted in a no-confidence vote on 25 September 2018 and headed a caretaker government until the next government was formed; LOFVEN was reelected as Prime Minister and took office on 21 January 2019 
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister
Electionsappointments: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually becomes the prime minister

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Parliament or Riksdag (349 seats; 310 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by closed, party-list proportional representation vote and 39 members in at-large seats directly elected by proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms)
Elections: last held on 9 September 2018 (next to be held in 2022)
Election results: percent of vote by party - SAP 28.3%, M 19.8%, SD 17.5%, C 8.6%, V 8%, KD 6.3%, L 5.5%, MP 4.4%, other 1.6%; seats by party - SAP 100, M 70, SD 62, C 31, V 28, KD 22, L 20, MP 16; composition - men 188, women 161, percent of women 46.1%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court of Sweden (consists of 16 justices, including the court chairman); Supreme Administrative Court (consists of 18 justices, including the court president)
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court and Supreme Administrative Court justices nominated by the Judges Proposal Board, a 9-member nominating body consisting of high-level judges, prosecutors, and members of Parliament; justices appointed by the Government; following a probationary period, justices appointments are permanent
Subordinate courts: first instance, appellate, general, and administrative courts; specialized courts that handle cases such as land and environment, immigration, labor, markets, and patents

Political parties and leaders: Center Party (Centerpartiet) or C [Annie LOOF]Christian Democrats (Kristdemokraterna) or KD [Ebba Busch THOR]Green Party (Miljopartiet de Grona) or MP [Isabella LOVIN and Per BOLUND]Left Party (Vansterpartiet) or V [Jonas SJOSTEDT]Liberal Party (Liberalerna) or L [Jan BJORKLUND]Moderate Party (Moderaterna) or M [Ulf KRISTERSSON]Swedish Social Democratic Party (Socialdemokraterna) or SAP [Stefan LOFVEN]Sweden Democrats (Sverigedemokraterna) or SD [Jimmie AKESSON]

International organization participation: ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CD, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EITI (implementing country), EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSMA, MONUSCO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMISS, UNMOGIP, UNRWA, UN Security Council (temporary), UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Karin Ulrika OLOFSDOTTER (since 17 September 2017)
In the us chancery: The House of Sweden, 2,900 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20,007
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 536-1500
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 536-1501
In the us consulate: New York, San Francisco
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Kenneth A. HOWERY (since 10 October 2019) 
From the us telephone: [46] (08) 783 53 00
From the us embassy: Dag Hammarskjolds Vag 31, SE-11,589 Stockholm
From the us mailing address: American Embassy Stockholm, US Department of State, 5,750 Stockholm Place, Washington, DC 20,521-5,750
From the us FAX: [46] (08) 661 19 64

Flag description: blue with a golden yellow cross extending 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); the colors reflect those of the Swedish coat of arms - three gold crowns on a blue field

National symbols: three crowns, lion; national colors: blue, yellow

National anthem
Name: Du Gamla, Du Fria (Thou Ancient, Thou Free)
Lyricsmusic: Richard DYBECK/traditional
Note: in use since 1844; also known as 'Sang till Norden' (Song of the North), is based on a Swedish folk tune; it has never been officially adopted by the government; 'Kungssangen' (The King's Song) serves as the royal anthem and is played in the presence of the royal family and during certain state ceremonies

Real gdp purchasing power parity
Real:
Real note: data are in 2010 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 163

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2010 dollars
Rank: 18

Gross national saving:
Rank: 34

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 44.1% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 26% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 24.9% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0.8% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 45.3% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -41.1% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 1.6% (2017 est.)
Industry: 33% (2017 est.)
Services: 65.4% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: barley, wheat, sugar beets; 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: 4.1% (2017 est.)
Rank: 74

Labor force: 5.029 million (2020 est.)
Rank: 77
By occupation agriculture: 2%
By occupation industry: 12%
By occupation services: 86% (2014 est.)

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 108

Population below poverty line: 15% (2014 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 3.4%
Highest 10: 24% (2012)

Budget
Revenues: 271.2 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 264.4 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: 1.3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 27

Taxes and other revenues: 50.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 16

Public debt:
Note: data cover general government debt and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intragovernmental debt; intragovernmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions
Rank: 124

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 98

Current account balance:
Rank: 16

Exports:
Rank: 25
Partners: Germany 11%, Norway 10.2%, Finland 6.9%, US 6.9%, Denmark 6.9%, UK 6.2%, Netherlands 5.5%, China 4.5%, Belgium 4.4%, France 4.2% (2017)
Commodities: machinery (26%), motor vehicles, paper products, pulp and wood, iron and steel products, chemicals (2016 est.)

Imports:
Rank: 24
Commodities: machinery, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, motor vehicles, iron and steel; foodstuffs, clothing
Partners: Germany 18.7%, Netherlands 8.9%, Norway 7.7%, Denmark 7.2%, China 5.5%, UK 5.1%, Finland 4.7%, Belgium 4.7% (2017)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 36

Debt external:
Rank: 16

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100% (2020)
Production: 152.9 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 27
Consumption: 133.5 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 27
Exports: 26.02 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Exports rank: 6
Imports: 14.29 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 16
Installed generating capacity: 40.29 million kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 26
Generation sources fossil fuels: 5% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 203
Generation sources nuclear: 22% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 6
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 42% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 50
Generation sources other renewable sources: 32% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 16

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 204
Crude oil exports: 14,570 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 55
Crude oil imports: 400,200 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 23
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 200

Refined petroleum
Products production: 413,200 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products production rank: 36
Products consumption: 323,100 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products consumption rank: 42
Products exports: 371,100 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products exports rank: 23
Products imports: 229,600 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products imports rank: 29

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 204
Consumption: 764.5 million m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 97
Exports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 193
Imports: 764.5 million m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 64
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2014 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 199

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 52.31 million Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 58

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 1,941,360
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 19.18 (2019 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 56
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 12,785,850
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 126.32 (2019 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 73

Broadcast media: publicly owned TV broadcaster operates 2 terrestrial networks plus regional stations; multiple privately owned TV broadcasters operating nationally, regionally, and locally; about 50 local TV stations; widespread access to pan-Nordic and international broadcasters through multi-channel cable and satellite TV; publicly owned radio broadcaster operates 3 national stations and a network of 25 regional channels; roughly 100 privately owned local radio stations with some consolidating into near national networks; an estimated 900 community and neighborhood radio stations broadcast intermittently

Internet
Country code: .se
Users total: 9,251,773
Users percent of population: 92.14% (July 2018 est.)
Users rank: 56

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 3,973,622
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 40 (2018 est.)
Rank: 34

Military expenditures:
Rank: 114

Military and security forces: Swedish Armed Forces (Forsvarsmakten): Army, Navy, Air Force; Home Guard (2019)

Military service age and obligation: 18-47 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; service obligation: 7.5 months (Army), 7-15 months (Navy), 8-12 months (Air Force); after completing initial service, soldiers have a reserve commitment until age 47; compulsory military service, abolished in 2010, was reinstated in January 2018; conscription is selective, includes both female and male (age 18), and requires 9-12 months of service (2018)

Terrorist groups: Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) (2019)
Note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in a title='Appendix-T' href='../appendix/appendix-t.html'>Appendix-T/a>

National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 11 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 316

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: SE (2016)

Airports: 231 (2013)
Rank: 25
With paved runways total: 149 (2013)
With paved runways over 3047 m: 3 (2013)
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 12 (2013)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 75 (2013)
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 22 (2013)
With paved runways under 914 m: 37 (2013)
With unpaved runways total: 82 (2013)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 5 (2013)
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 77 (2013)

Heliports: 2 (2013)

Pipelines: 1626 km gas (2013)

Railways
Total: 14,127 km (2016)
Standard gauge: 14,062 km
Note: 0.891-m gauge (65 km electrified) (2016)
Narrow gauge: 65 km
Rank: 20

Roadways
Total: 573,134 km
Note: includes 98,500 km of state roads, 433,034 km of private roads, and 41,600 km of municipal roads
Paved: 140,100 km (2016)
Unpaved: 433,034 km (2016)
Rank: 13

Waterways: 2,052 km (2010)
Rank: 40

Merchant marine
Total: 360
By type: general cargo 51, oil tanker 20, other 289 (2019)
Rank: 50

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Brofjorden, Goteborg, Helsingborg, Karlshamn, Lulea, Malmo, Stockholm, Trelleborg, Visby
LNG terminal: Brunnsviksholme, Lysekil

Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 113,418 (Syria), 27,933 (Eritrea), 30,546 (Afghanistan), 17,593 (Somalia), 12,460 (Iraq), 7,408 (Iran) (2019)
Stateless persons: 30,305 (2019); note - the majority of stateless people are from the Middle East and Somalia