Sweden

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Temperature

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

Population

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

In total, Sweden spends US$5.920 million on its military, or 1.2 percent of its GDP. This makes Sweden the 34th highest military spender in the world and represents 0.3 percent of total global military expenditure.

The military of Sweden, the Swedish Armed Forces consists of an army, a Navy and an air force and are headed by a general in cooperation with the Minister of Defence. The King of Sweden used to be the head of the military, but currently serves a ceremonial function. The main task of the Swedish Army is to train militaries abroad, support the civilization during natural disasters and maintaining its territorial integrity.

Military membership

Sweden is also a member of 12 international military organizations. This makes it the 21st most militarily connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Common Security and Defence Policy
Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation
Permanent Structured Cooperation
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
Conference on Disarmament
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

Wassenaar Arrangement
Nuclear Suppliers Group
Australia Group
Missile Technology Control Regime
International Atomic Energy Agency

Military membership

International wars

Sweden has partaken in 33 international wars. These are:

Thirty Years' War 1618-1648
Polish succession war 1733-1739
Seven Years' War 1756-1763
Dano-Swedish War (1501–11)
Swedish War of Liberation
Livonian War 1558-1583
Northern Seven Years' War
Russo-Swedish War (1590–95)
Polish–Swedish War (1600–11)
Ingrian War 1610-1617

Kalmar War 1611-1613
Polish–Swedish War (1617–18)
Polish–Swedish War (1611–15)
Anglo-Spanish War (1615–1630)
Torstenson War 1643-1645
Second Northern War 1655-1660
Russo-Swedish War (1656–58)
Dano-Swedish War (1657–58)
Second Swedish War on Bremen 1666-1666
War of Devolution 1667-1668

Franco-Dutch War 1671-1678
Scanian War 1675-1679
Nine Years' War 1688-1697
Great Northern War 1700-1711
Pruth River Campaign 1710-1711
Russo-Swedish War (1741–1743)
Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790)
Theatre War 1788-1789
Napoleonic Wars 1803-1815
Franco-Swedish War 1805-1810
Finnish War 1808-1809
" Hundred Days war 1815-1815"
Libyan Civil War 2011-2011

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

In total, Sweden is a member of 20 international political organizations. This makes it the 6th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Member state of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
European Union
the Council of Europe
Energy Community
Council of the Baltic Sea States
HELCOM (Helsinki Commission)
Nordic Council
Northern Dimension Partnership in Public Health and Social Well-being (NDPHS)
European Cooperation in Science and Technology

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

The government of Sweden has been one of the most democratic governments in the world and is ranked second. This is largely due to high governmental transparency as well as low corruption. However, a challenge in the near future is to reduce the increasing crime.

Democracy/Dictatorship

The politics of Sweden take place in the form of a constitutional monarchy where the king of Sweden is head of state and the Prime Minister of Sweden is head of government. It holds regular elections with peaceful transitions of power and has the ability to hold referendums.

Union for the Mediterranean
Arctic Council
International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
UNIDROIT
International Criminal Court

Interpol
Permanent Court of Arbitration
Western European and Others Group
International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
World Organization for Animal Health

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If you want to know more about other states, click on the flag on the right to discover Switzerland.

Known for its many lakes, its forests as well as its global businesses, Sweden has had a rich history. During its early history, the area was inhabited by the Sami people that lived a nomadic lifestyle. From the eighth century, several smaller kingdoms emerged which started their famous Viking raids throughout the Baltics as well as the United Kingdom. By the 10th century, a large portion of Sweden has been unified under a single kingdom which converted to Christianity in the 11th century. From the 12th century until the 14th century, the Swedish Empire grew and covered most of Norway and Finland after several battles against Denmark and Russia from the 15th until the 19th century. After conquering Norway at the start of the 19th century, both states were integrated into a single union which lasted until 1905 when both states separated peacefully. This separation has formed the current borders of Sweden. Since then, it has retained a neutral position throughout the first world war, the second world war and the Cold War which enabled Sweden to heavily invest in its economy which is considered to be one of the most developed in the world. This neutrality, however, has shifted with the war between Russia and Ukraine which saw Sweden apply for NATO membership in 2022 and joining NATO in 2023.

Located in northern Europe, the geography of Sweden consists of a low-lying mountain on its border with Norway with hills and a flat plane in its southern part and along its coastal area. Most of its terrain is densely forested with the exception of its southern part which is lightly forested. In total, Sweden borders Finland to the east and Norway to the northwest. It is also connected with Denmark through a bridge.

It is the 55th largest state with a total surface area of 452.546 square kilometres or 174.729 square miles. This makes Sweden slightly smaller than Uzbekistan and slightly larger than Papua New Guinea.

It has a total water surface area of 40.160 square kilometres or 15.507 square miles. This makes Sweden the 17th largest state in the world.

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

Sweden is home to many rivers and more than 100,000 lakes which are used for its tap water. Water quality is of high standard and needs light treatment in order to be safe to drink.

The climate of Sweden is separated into several regions where its southern region has an oceanic climate while its northern region has an Arctic climate. It also has high temperature differences with its winters being 50 degrees Celsius, or 122 degrees Fahrenheit colder than its summers. The average temperature is 3.4 degrees Celsius or 38 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes Sweden the 189th warmest state in the world.

The average high temperature is 7.8 degrees Celsius or 46 degrees Fahrenheit.

The average low temperature is 0.8 degrees Celsius or 33.4 degrees Fahrenheit.

Despite being rich in water, Sweden receives a low amount of rainfall. On average, Sweden receives 57.2 centimetres or 22.5 inches of rainfall per year which ranks it as the 150th highest in the world. Despite being the 150th state with the highest amount of rainfall, it does occur frequently and during its winter months it can rain for more than half of the month.

The capital of Sweden, Stockholm, is home to approximately 1.2 million people. The closest capital is Tallinn, Estonia, with a distance of 383 kilometres or 238 miles. The capital that is the furthest removed is Wellington, New Zealand, with a distance of 17.451 kilometres or 10.844 miles.

The economy of Sweden is considered to be a developed economy which is a mix between private freedom and governmental central planning. At the start of the 20th century, it relied heavily on agriculture. However, after investing heavily into its industry, Sweden has transformed itself into an industrialized state with less than two percent of its economy being active in the agricultural sector. Most of the products that Sweden exports are electronics, machinery and petroleum which are mainly exported to Finland and Germany which combined make up 20 percent of all exports. Most of its imports come from Germany, Norway and the Netherlands which combined represent nearly 40 percent of all imports.

It has a GDP of US$398.454 million, which makes it the 30th highest in the world and represents 0.47 percent of total global GDP.

Its GDP per surface area is the 72nd highest in the world with US$880.471 per square kilometre or US$2.280.409 per square mile.

Its GDP per capita is the 13th highest in the world with US$54.244.

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.

Its purchasing power parity per capita is the 20th highest in the world with US$53.199.

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states

The population of Sweden, with 10.2 million people, is the 89th highest in the world. Around 80 percent of the population are ethnic Swedes and Swedish is its official language. However, throughout the 20th century, immigration has started to increase which has become the leading source of population growth at the end of the 20th century. At the start of the 21st century, many refugees from the Middle East and Africa were granted asylum in Sweden which has rapidly shifted its demographics.

It has the 162nd highest population density in the world with 22 people per square kilometre or 58 people per square mile.

3.4 percent of the population, or just over 350,000 people, have emigrated to other states. This makes Sweden the 121st state with the highest number of emigrants and represents 0.14 percent of total global emigration. The main destinations have been Norway and the United States due to its economic prosperity which combined represent roughly a third of all migrants.

Immigration to Sweden is represented by 18.3 percent of the population, or 1.9 million people which makes Sweden the 27th state with the highest number of immigrants which represents 0.75 percent of total global immigration. The main supplier of migrants has been Syria due to its civil war. However, other large contributors are Iraq, Iran, Somalia and Finland.

Education is free and compulsory between the ages of seven and 18. The majority of its schools are funded by the municipals with the exception of private schools. The average literacy rate is 98.6 percent which makes Sweden the 41st most literate state in the world.

The health care system of Sweden provides high-quality universal healthcare towards all its citizens. It is arguably one of the most developed healthcare systems in the world due to its high funding as well as a high life expectancy. The average life expectancy is 83.3 years which is the 18th highest in the world. Women have an average life expectancy of 84.9 years, while men have an average life expectancy of 81.7 years. Some risks to the Swedish population are related to obesity as well as cardiovascular diseases that are more common in an aging population.

The government of Sweden provides freedom of religion towards all religions and provides legal protection against religious discrimination.

60.6 percent of its population adheres to Christianity which makes Sweden the 107th most Christian state in the world. This number has steadily decreased throughout the 20th century due to large amounts of migration from non-Christian states. Before the 16th century, Roman Catholicism has been the largest denomination within Sweden. However, after the Protestant Reformation, Sweden switched to the Lutheran church as its largest denomination and has held it as its official state religion until the end of the 20th century.

Islam is the second largest religious group and is represented by 5.8 percent of the population which makes it the 88th most Islamic state in the world. Despite being aware of Islam since the seventh century through trade with Arab merchants, Islam only started to grow at the end of the 20th century through migration with the majority of migrants adhering to the Sunni branch of Islam.

Buddhism is represented by 0.27 percent of the population and mainly consists of migrants from China, Thailand and Vietnam.

Hinduism is represented by 0.16 percent of the population and are mainly migrants from India and refugees from Sri Lanka.

Judaism is represented by 0.12 percent of the population and are mainly situated in the capital Stockholm.

Other religions are represented by 0.23 percent of the population and are mainly hedonistic religions which are a revival of the older Scandinavian religions.

Irreligion is represented by 18 percent of the population.

Sweden is a member of 24 international economic organizations. This makes it the 2nd most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

African development Bank
Asian Development Bank
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
Bank for International Settlements
Council of Europe Development Bank
Financial Action Task Force
Inter-American Development Bank
International Energy Agency
International Development Law Organization
International Monetary Fund
Nordic Development Fund
Nordic Investment Bank
OECD - Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development

World Bank Group
World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization
TRACECA Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia
Group of Ten (economics)
International Energy Agency
Energy Charter Treaty
Energy Community
Nuclear Energy Agency
International Renewable Energy Agency
Advisory Centre on World Trade