Sweden

Fresh water lake(s):

• Vanern - 5,580 sq km;
• Vattern - 1,910 sq km;
• Malaren - 1,140 sq km

• 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

• 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

noun:

Swede(s)

adjective:

Swedish

• 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

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.)

• marine pollution (Baltic Sea and North Sea);
• acid rain damage to soils and lakes;
• air pollution;
• inappropriate timber harvesting practices

particulate matter emissions:

5.89 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

43.25 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

4.42 megatons (2020 est.)

urban population:

88.2% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization:

0.89% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

4.377 million tons (2015 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually:

1,416,835 tons (2015 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

32.4% (2015 est.)

Fresh water lake(s):

• Vanern - 5,580 sq km;
• Vattern - 1,910 sq km;
• Malaren - 1,140 sq km

municipal:

955 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

industrial:

1.345 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

agricultural:

75 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

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.

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

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)

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;
• The Instrument of Government - amended several times, last in 2018;
• The Act of Succession - changed in 1937, 1980;
• The Freedom of the Press Act - amended several times, last in 2019;
• The Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression - amended several times, last in 2018

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

description:

unicameral Parliament or Riksdag (349 seats; 310 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by open party-list proportional representation vote and 39 members in "at-large" seats directly elected by open party-list 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 185, women 164, percent of women 47%

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

• Center Party (Centerpartiet) or C [Annie LOOF]
• Christian Democrats (Kristdemokraterna) or KD [Ebba BUSCH]
• Green Party (Miljopartiet de Grona) or MP [Marta STEVENI and Per BOLUND]
• Left Party (Vansterpartiet) or V [Nooshi DADGOSTAR]
• Liberal Party (Liberalerna) or L [Nyamko SABUNI]
• Moderate Party (Moderaterna) or M [Ulf KRISTERSSON]
• Swedish Social Democratic Party (Socialdemokraterna) or SAP [Magdalena ANDERSSON]
• Sweden Democrats (Sverigedemokraterna) or SD [Jimmie AKESSON]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Karin Ulrika OLOFSDOTTER (since 8 September 2017)

chancery:

2900 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20007

telephone:

[1] (202) 467-2600

FAX:

[1] (202) 467-2699

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://www.swedenabroad.se/en/embassies/usa-washington/

consulate(s) general:

New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Pamela M. TREMONT (since 20 January 2021)

embassy:

Dag Hammarskjolds Vag 31, SE-115 89 Stockholm

mailing address:

5750 Stockholm Place, Washington, DC 20521-5750

telephone:

[46] (08) 783-53-00

FAX:

[46] (08) 661-19-64

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://se.usembassy.gov/

• 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

Fitch rating:

AAA (2004)

Moody's rating:

Aaa (2002)

Standard & Poors rating: AAA (2004)

agriculture:

2%

industry:

12%

services:

86% (2014 est.)

total:

24%

male:

25%

female:

22.8% (2020 est.)

lowest 10%:

3.4%

highest 10%:

24% (2012)

• 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

total:

14,127 km (2016)

standard gauge:

14,062 km 1.435-m gauge (12,322 km electrified) (2016)

narrow gauge:

65 km 0.891-m gauge (65 km electrified) (2016)

total:

573,134 km (includes 2,050 km of expressways) (2016)

paved:

140,100 km (2016)

unpaved:

433,034 km (2016)

note: includes 98,500 km of state roads, 433,034 km of private roads, and 41,600 km of municipal roads

total:

370

by type:

general cargo 49, oil tanker 22, other 299 (2021)

major seaport(s):

Brofjorden, Goteborg, Helsingborg, Karlshamn, Lulea, Malmo, Stockholm, Trelleborg, Visby

LNG terminal(s) (import):

Brunnsviksholme, Lysekil

• information varies;
• approximately 16,000 active duty troops (7,000 Army; 3,000 Navy; 3,000 Air Force; 3,000 other, including staff, logistics, support, medical, cyber, intelligence, etc);
• approximately 22,000 Home Guard (2021)

• the inventory of the Swedish Armed Forces is comprised of domestically-produced and imported Western weapons systems;
• since 2010, the US is the leading supplier of military hardware to Sweden, followed by France and Germany;
• Sweden's defense industry is capable of producing a range of air, land, and naval systems (2020)

• 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 (2019)

refugees (country of origin):

114,609 (Syria), 29,927 (Afghanistan), 27,421 (Eritrea), 12,784 (Somalia), 11,635 (Iraq), 7,507 (Iran) (2020)

stateless persons:

50,414 (2020); note - the majority of stateless people are from the Middle East and Somalia