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
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- Map:
- Location:
- • Northern Europe, bordering the
Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, Kattegat, and Skagerrak, between Finland and Norway
- Area—comparative:
- slightly larger than California
- Land boundaries:
- • total: 2,205 km
• border countries: Finland 586 km, Norway 1,619 km
- Coastline:
- • 3,218 km
- Maritime claims:
- • continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
• exclusive economic zone: agreed boundaries or midlines
• 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
- Environment—current issues:
- • acid rain damaging soils and lakes; pollution of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea
- Environment—international agreements:
- • party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of
the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
• signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
- Geography
- • note: strategic location along Danish Straits linking Baltic and North
Seas
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- Population:
- • 8,875,053 (July 2001 est.)
- Net migration rate:
- • 0.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
- Infant mortality rate:
- • 3.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
- Life expectancy at birth:
- • total population: 79.71 years
• male: 77.07 years
• female: 82.5 years (2001 est.)
- Total fertility rate:
- • 1.53 children born/woman (2001 est.)
- Nationality:
- • noun: Swede(s)
• adjective: Swedish
- Ethnic groups:
- • indigenous population: Swedes and Finnish and Lapp (Sami) minorities; foreign-born or first-generation immigrants:
Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks
- Religions:
- • Lutheran 87%, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist
- Languages:
- • Swedish
• note: small Lapp- and Finnish-speaking minorities
- Literacy:
- • definition: age 15 and over can read and write
• total population: 99% (1979 est.)
• male: NA%
• female: NA%
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- Country name:
- • conventional long form: Kingdom of Sweden
• conventional short form: Sweden
• local long form: Konungariket Sverige
• local short form: Sverige
- Data code:
- • SW
- Government type:
- • constitutional monarchy
- National 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 was elected king; 6 June 1809, a constitutional monarchy
was 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
- Suffrage:
- • 18 years of age; universal
- Executive branch:
- • chief of state: King CARL XVI GUSTAF (since 19 September 1973); Heir
Apparent Princess VICTORIA Ingrid Alice Desiree, daughter of the king (born 14 July 1977)
• head of government: Prime Minister Goran PERSSON (since 21 March 1996)
• cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister
• elections: the monarch is hereditary; prime minister elected by the
Parliament; election last held NA September 1998 (next to be held NA 2002)
• election results: Goran PERSSON reelected prime minister with 131 out of
349 votes
- Legislative branch:
- • unicameral Parliament
or Riksdag (349 seats; members are elected by popular vote on a proportional
representation basis to serve four-year terms)
• elections: last held 20 September 1998 (next to be held NA September 2002)
• election
results: percent of vote by party - Social Democrats 36.5%, Moderates 22.7%, Left
Party 12%, Christian Democrats 11.8%, Center Party 5.1%, Liberal Party 4.7%, Greens 4.5%;
seats by party - Social Democrats 131, Moderates 82, Left Party 43, Christian Democrats
42, Center Party 18, Liberal Party 17, Greens 16
membership
by party affiliation
- 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]
- Diplomatic representation in the
US:
- chief of mission: Ambassador Ambassador Jan ELIASSON
chancery: 1501 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20005-1702
telephone: [1] (202) 467-2600
FAX: [1] (202) 467-2699
consulate(s) general: New York
- Diplomatic representation from the US:
- chief of mission: Ambassador Charles A. Heimbold
embassy: Dag Hammarskjölds Väg 31, SE-115 89 Stockholm
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [46] (08) 783 53 00
FAX: [46] (08) 661 19 64
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- 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. GDP growth is forecast for 4% in 2001.
- GDP:
- • purchasing power parity: $197 billion (2000 est.)
• real growth rate: 4.3% (2000 est.)
• per capita: purchasing power parity—$22,200 (2000 est.)
• composition by sector: agriculture: 2.2% industry: 27.9% services:
69.9% (1999)
- Inflation rate—consumer price index:
- • 1.2% (2000 est.)
- Labor force:
- • total: 4.4 million (2000 est.)
• by occupation: agriculture 2%, industry 24%,
services 74% (2000 est.)
- Unemployment rate:
- • 6% (2000 est.)
- Budget:
- • revenues: $133 billion
• expenditures: $125.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000
est.)
- Exports:
- • total value: $95.5 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
• commodities: machinery, motor vehicles, paper products, pulp and wood, iron
and steel products, chemicals, petroleum and petroleum products
• partners: EU 55% (Germany 11%, UK 10%, Denmark
6%, Finland 5%, France 5%), US 9%, Norway 8% (1999)
- Imports:
- • total value: $80 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
• commodities: machinery, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, motor
vehicles, foodstuffs, iron and steel, clothing
• partners: EU 67% (Germany 18%, UK 10%, Denmark
7%, France 6%), Norway 8%, US 6% (1999)
- Debt—external:
- • $66.5 billion (1994)
- Economic aid:
- • donor: ODA, $1.7 billion (1997)
- Currency:
- • 1 Swedish krona (SKr) = 100 oere
- Exchange
rates:
- • Swedish kronor (SKr) per US$1—9.4669 (January 2001), 8.4831 (January 2000),
8.2624 (1999), 7.9499 (1998), 7.6349 (1997), 6.7060 (1996), 7.1333 (1995)
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- Military branches:
- • Swedish Army, Royal Swedish Navy, Swedish Air Force
- Military manpower—military age:
- • 19 years of age
- Military manpower—availability:
- • males age 15-49: 2,062,566 (2001 est.)
- Military expenditures—dollar figure:
- • $5 billion (FY98)
- Military expenditures—percent of GDP:
- • 2.1% (FY98)
Defense
Research Database
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- Disputes—international:
- • none
- Illicit drugs:
- • minor transshipment point for and consumer of narcotics shipped via the CIS and
Baltic states; increasing consumer of European amphetamines
SWEDEN