Background: A military power during the 17th century, Sweden maintained a policy of military non-alignment until it applied to join NATO in 2022. Sweden has not participated in any war for two centuries. Stockholm preserved an armed neutrality 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 20% in 2022.

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

Land boundaries
Total: 2,211 km
Border countries (2): (2) Finland 545 km; Norway 1,666 km

Coastline: 3,218 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm (adjustments made to return a portion of straits to high seas)
Exclusive economic zone: agreed boundaries or midlines
Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

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
Highest point: Kebnekaise South 2,100 m
Lowest point: reclaimed bay of Lake Hammarsjon, near Kristianstad -2.4 m
Mean elevation: 320 m

Land use
Agricultural land: 7.3% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 6.2% (2023 est.)
Permanent crops: 0% (2023 est.)
Permanent pasture: 1.1% (2023 est.)
Forest: 68.6% (2023 est.)
Other: 23.8% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land: 510 km² (2016)

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
Total: 10,589,835 (2024 est.)
Male: 5,332,701
Female: 5,257,134
Distribution: most of the population lives in the south where the climate is milder and there is better connectivity to mainland Europe; population clusters are found along the Baltic coast in the east; the interior areas of the north remain sparsely populated
Growth rate: 0.51% (2024 est.)

Languages: Swedish (official)
Major-language sample(s): ; The World Factbook, den obestridliga källan för grundläggande information. (Swedish); The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Note: Finnish, Sami, Romani, Yiddish, and Meankieli are official minority languages

Religions: Church of Sweden (Lutheran) 53.9%, other (includes Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist) 8.9%, none or unspecified 37.2% (2021 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) and the Church of Sweden

Age structure
0-14 years: 17.1% (male 934,668/female 880,310)
15-64 years: 62.1% (male 3,365,754/female 3,208,248)
65 years and over: 20.8% (2024 est.) (male 1,032,279/female 1,168,576)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 61.1 (2024 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 27.6 (2024 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 33.5 (2024 est.)
Potential support ratio: 3 (2024 est.)

Median age
Total: 41.1 years (2024 est.)
Male: 40.1 years
Female: 42.1 years

Population growth rate: 0.51% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 10.7 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 9.6 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

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

Urbanization
Urban population: 88.7% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.89% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 1.700 million STOCKHOLM (capital) (2023)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio: 4 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 2.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 2.5 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 2 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 82.9 years (2024 est.)
Male: 81.2 years
Female: 84.7 years

Total fertility rate: 1.67 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Drinking water source
Urban: 0.2% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 0.4% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 0.3% of population (2022 est.)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 0.4% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 0.5% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 0.4% of population (2022 est.)

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 8.6% (2024 est.); 7.7% (2023 est.); 7.4% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

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: the name of the city probably comes from the Swedish words stak (bay) or stock (stake or pole) and holm (island); it was built in the mid-13th century on the site of a fishing village, so the name may refer to building over earlier foundations

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

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

Executive branch
Chief of state: King CARL XVI GUSTAF (since 15 September 1973)
Head of government: Prime Minister Ulf KRISTERSSON (since 18 October 2022)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister
Election/appointment process: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually becomes the prime minister

Legislative branch
Legislature name: Parliament (Riksdagen)
Legislative structure: unicameral
Number of seats: 349 (all directly elected)
Electoral system: proportional representation
Scope of elections: full renewal
Term in office: 4 years
Most recent election date: 9/11/2022
Parties elected and seats per party: Social Democratic Party (SAP) (107); Sweden Democrats (SD) (73); Moderate Party (M) (68); Left Party (VP) (24); Centre Party (CP) (24); Christian Democrats (KD) (19); Green Party (Mpg) (18); Other (16)
Percentage of women in chamber: 45%
Expected date of next election: September 2026

Flag description: blue with a golden yellow cross extending to the edges of the flag; the cross is shifted to the left side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)

National anthem
Title: 'Kungssangen' (Royal Song)
Lyrics/music: Carl Wilhelm August Strandberg/Otto Lindblad
History: adopted 1844 as the royal anthem, but also used as the national anthem until 1893; only the first verse is sung if the monarch is present

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 15 (13 cultural, 1 natural, 1 mixed)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:

Real gdp growth rate: 1% (2024 est.); -0.1% (2023 est.); 1.5% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: 1% (2024 est.); -0.1% (2023 est.); 1.5% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 43.7% (2023 est.)
Government consumption: 26% (2023 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 25% (2023 est.)
Investment in inventories: -0.1% (2023 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 55.4% (2023 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -51.4% (2023 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 1.1% (2024 est.)
Industry: 22.6% (2024 est.)
Services: 65.9% (2024 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

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: 0.3% (2024 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Labor force: 5.699 million (2024 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Unemployment rate: 8.6% (2024 est.); 7.7% (2023 est.); 7.4% (2022 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 8.6% (2024 est.); 7.7% (2023 est.); 7.4% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Budget
Revenues: $195.468 billion (2022 est.)
Expenditures: $191.095 billion (2022 est.)
Note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

Taxes and other revenues: 27.6% (of GDP) (2022 est.)
Note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

Exports: $338.852 billion (2024 est.); $329.332 billion (2023 est.); $318.203 billion (2022 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: cars, refined petroleum, packaged medicine, paper, vehicle parts/accessories (2023)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports: $309.526 billion (2024 est.); $304.194 billion (2023 est.); $304.101 billion (2022 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: cars, crude petroleum, refined petroleum, vehicle parts/accessories, garments (2023)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Electricity
Installed generating capacity: 55.307 million kW (2023 est.)
Consumption: 125.273 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Exports: 36.151 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Imports: 7.335 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 9.109 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Access electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 0.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 28.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources solar: 1.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources wind: 21% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 40.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 7.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Coal
Production: 1.042 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Consumption: 3.17 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Exports: 23,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
Imports: 2.078 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Proven reserves: 5 million metric tons (2023 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 11,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 270,000 bbl/day (2024 est.)

Natural gas
Consumption: 896.109 million cubic meters (2023 est.)
Exports: 10.625 million cubic meters (2023 est.)
Imports: 897.487 million cubic meters (2023 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 43.96 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 5.324 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 36.768 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 1.868 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 142.102 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 898,000 (2023 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 9 (2023 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 14.8 million (2023 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 125 (2022 est.)

Internet
Users percent of population: 96% (2023 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 4.3 million (2023 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 41 (2023 est.)

Military expenditures: 2.5% of GDP (2025 est.); 2.3% of GDP (2024 est.); 1.7% of GDP (2023 est.); 1.5% of GDP (2022 est.); 1.4% of GDP (2021 est.)

Airports: 206 (2025)

Heliports: 11 (2025)

Railways
Total: 10,910 km (2020) 8,184 km electrified
Narrow gauge: 65 km

Merchant marine
Total: 361 (2023)
By type: general cargo 44, oil tanker 18, other 299