Sweden

Location

• Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, Kattegat, and Skagerrak, between Finland and Norway
• 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

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Stockholm	1,515,017	Capital
Göteborg	608,462
Malmö	362,133
Uppsala	177,074
Linköping	166,673
Örebro	155,989
Sollentuna	139,606
Umeå	130,224
Västerås	127,799
Södermalm	127,323

Size

• 173,731 square miles
• 449,964 square kilometers
• almost three times the size of Georgia; slightly larger than California

History

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.  

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

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

Government

parliamentary constitutional monarchy

• Constitution: history: Sweden has four fundamental laws which together make up the Constitution: The Instrument of Government (several previous; latest 1974); The Act of Succession (enacted 1810; changed in 1937 and 1980); The Freedom of the Press Act (many previous; latest in 1949); The Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression (adopted 1991)amendment process: 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; the results of such a referendum are only binding if a majority vote against the proposal
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal System: civil law system influenced by Roman-Germanic law and customary law
• 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 ministerelection/appointment process: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually becomes the prime minister
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): 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; after a probationary period, justices' appointments are permanentsubordinate courts: first instance, appellate, general, and administrative courts; specialized courts that handle cases such as land and environment, immigration, labor, markets, and patents
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: Parliament (Riksdagen)legislative structure: unicameralnumber of seats: 349 (all directly elected)electoral system: proportional representationscope of elections: full renewalterm in office: 4 yearsmost recent election date: 9/11/2022parties 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

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• high-income, largest Nordic economy; EU member but does not use the euro; export-oriented, led by automotive, electronics, machinery, and pharmaceuticals; highly ranked for competitiveness, R&D investments and governance; recovery, with falling inflation and real wage growth balanced by risks from trade uncertainty
• 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
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, gold, silver, tungsten, uranium, arsenic, feldspar, timber, hydropower
• Industries: iron and steel, precision equipment (bearings, radio and telephone parts, armaments), wood pulp and paper products, processed foods, motor vehicles
• Agricultural Products: milk, wheat, sugar beets, barley, potatoes, oats, rapeseed, pork, chicken, beef (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 7.4% (2022 est.)arable land: 6.2% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 1.1% (2022 est.)forest: 68.7% (2022 est.)other: 23.9% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: cars, crude petroleum, refined petroleum, vehicle parts/accessories, garments (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: Germany 17%, Netherlands 10%, Norway 9%, Denmark 6%, China 6% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: cars, refined petroleum, packaged medicine, paper, vehicle parts/accessories (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: Germany 10%, USA 10%, Denmark 8%, Norway 6%, Netherlands 5% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports