Sweden

For other uses, see Sweden (disambiguation).

Kingdom of Sweden
Konungariket Sverige (Swedish)
Anthem: 
"Du gamla, du fria"[a]
(English: "Thou ancient, Thou free")
Royal anthem: 
"Kungssången"
(English: "Song of the King")
Location of Sweden (dark green)

– in Europe (green & dark grey)
– in the European Union (green)  –  [Legend]

Capital
and largest city
Stockholm
59°21′N 18°4′E / 59.350°N 18.067°E / 59.350; 18.067
Official languagesSwedish[b]
National minority languages
Demonym(s)
GovernmentUnitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
• Monarch
Carl XVI Gustaf
Andreas Norlén
Ulf Kristersson
LegislatureRiksdag
History
• A unified Swedish kingdom established
By the late 10th century
• Part of the Kalmar Union
17 June 1397 – 6 June 1523
1611–1721
Area
• Total
450,295[4] km2 (173,860 sq mi) (55th)
• Water (%)
8.97 (2022)[5]
Population
• 7 July 2021 estimate
Neutral increase 10,540,886[6] (87th)
• Density
25/km2 (64.7/sq mi) (198th)
GDP (PPP)2023 estimate
• Total
Increase $715.995 billion[7] (40th)
• Per capita
Increase $66,209[7] (17th)
GDP (nominal)2023 estimate
• Total
Increase $597.110 billion[7] (25th)
• Per capita
Decrease $55,215[7] (12th)
Gini (2022)Negative increase 27.6[8]
low inequality
HDI (2022)Increase 0.952[9]
very high (5th)
CurrencySwedish krona (SEK)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)
UTC+2 (CEST)
Drives onright[d]
ISO 3166 codeSE
Internet TLD.se[e]
Website
sweden.se

Sweden,[f] formally the Kingdom of Sweden,[g][h] is a Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At 450,295 square kilometres (173,860 sq mi),[4] Sweden is the largest Nordic country and the fifth-largest country in Europe. The capital and largest city is Stockholm. Sweden has a population of 10.6 million,[10] and a low population density of 25.5 inhabitants per square kilometre (66/sq mi); 88% of Swedes reside in urban areas.[11] They are mostly in the central and southern half of the country. Sweden's urban areas together cover 1.5% of its land area. Sweden has a diverse climate owing to the length of the country, which ranges from 55°N to 69°N.

Sweden has been inhabited since prehistoric times, c. 12,000 BC. The inhabitants emerged as the Geats (Swedish: Götar) and Swedes (Svear), which together constituted the sea-faring peoples known as the Norsemen. A unified Swedish state was established during the late 10th century. In 1397, Sweden joined Norway and Denmark to form the Scandinavian Kalmar Union,[12] which Sweden left in 1523. When Sweden became involved in the Thirty Years' War on the Protestant side, an expansion of its territories began, forming the Swedish Empire, which remained one of the great powers of Europe until the early 18th century. During this era Sweden controlled much of the Baltic Sea. Most of the conquered territories outside the Scandinavian Peninsula were lost during the 18th and 19th centuries. The eastern half of Sweden, present-day Finland, was lost to Imperial Russia in 1809. The last war in which Sweden was directly involved was in 1814, when Sweden by military means forced Norway into a personal union, a union which lasted until 1905.

Sweden is a highly developed country ranked fifth in the Human Development Index.[13] It is a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy, with legislative power vested in the 349-member unicameral Riksdag. It is a unitary state, divided into 21 counties and 290 municipalities. Sweden maintains a Nordic social welfare system that provides universal health care and tertiary education for its citizens. It has the world's 14th highest GDP per capita and ranks very highly in quality of life, health, education, protection of civil liberties, economic competitiveness, income equality, gender equality and prosperity.[14][15] Sweden joined the European Union on 1 January 1995 and NATO on 7 March 2024. It is also a member of the United Nations, the Schengen Area, the Council of Europe, the Nordic Council, the World Trade Organization and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Swedish was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Swedish2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Är svenskan också officiellt språk i Sverige?" [Is Swedish also an official language in Sweden?] (in Swedish). Swedish Language Council. 1 February 2008. Archived from the original on 6 February 2014. Retrieved 22 June 2008.
  4. ^ a b "Sweden country profile". BBC News. 6 December 2023. Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  5. ^ "Land- och vattenareal per den 1 januari efter region och arealtyp. År 2012 - 2022". Statistics Sweden (SCB). Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  6. ^ [1] Archived 29 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine Statistics Sweden. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (Sweden)". IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. 10 October 2023. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  8. ^ "Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income – EU-SILC survey". ec.europa.eu. Eurostat. Archived from the original on 9 October 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  9. ^ "Human Development Report 2023/2024" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  10. ^ "Sweden Population 2024 (Live)". worldpopulationreview.com. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  11. ^ https://www.scb.se/en/finding-statistics/statistics-by-subject-area/environment/land-use/localities-and-urban-areas/pong/statistical-news/localities-and-urban-areas-2020/ Increasing proportion of people live in urban areas (24 November 2021)
  12. ^ "Artikelarkiv". SO-rummet. Archived from the original on 9 October 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  13. ^ Human Development Report 2023-24: Breaking the gridlock: Reimagining cooperation in a polarized world. United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. Archived from the original on 18 March 2024. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  14. ^ "OECD Better Life Index". OECD Publishing. Archived from the original on 1 September 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference wefcomp was invoked but never defined (see the help page).