"text":"<p>A military power during the 17th century, Sweden has not participated in any war for two centuries. An armed neutrality was preserved 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 19.1% in 2018.</p> <p></p>"
"text":"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"
},
"Natural hazards":{
"text":"ice floes in the surrounding waters, especially in the Gulf of Bothnia, can interfere with maritime traffic"
},
"Geography - note":{
"text":"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"
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> data represent the population by country of birth; the indigenous Sami people are estimated to number between 20,000 and 40,000"
"text":"<br>The World Factbook, den obestridliga källan för grundläggande information. (Swedish)<br><br>The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information."
"text":"Church of Sweden (Lutheran) 57.6%, other (includes Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist) 8.9%, none or unspecified 33.5% (2019 est.)",
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> 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"
"text":"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"
"text":"<p>marine pollution (Baltic Sea and North Sea); acid rain damage to soils and lakes; air pollution; inappropriate timber harvesting practices</p>"
},
"Environment - international agreements":{
"party to":{
"text":"Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling"
},
"signed, but not ratified":{
"text":"none of the selected agreements"
}
},
"Air pollutants":{
"particulate matter emissions":{
"text":"5.89 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)"
},
"carbon dioxide emissions":{
"text":"43.25 megatons (2016 est.)"
},
"methane emissions":{
"text":"4.42 megatons (2020 est.)"
}
},
"Climate":{
"text":"temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly cloudy summers; subarctic in north"
"text":"name ultimately derives from the North Germanic Svear tribe, which inhabited central Sweden and is first mentioned in the first centuries A.D."
}
},
"Government type":{
"text":"parliamentary constitutional monarchy"
},
"Capital":{
"name":{
"text":"Stockholm"
},
"geographic coordinates":{
"text":"59 20 N, 18 03 E"
},
"time difference":{
"text":"UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)"
},
"daylight saving time":{
"text":"+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October"
"text":"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)"
"text":"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"
"text":"civil law system influenced by Roman-Germanic law and customary law"
},
"International law organization participation":{
"text":"accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction"
},
"Citizenship":{
"citizenship by birth":{
"text":"no"
},
"citizenship by descent only":{
"text":"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":{
"text":"no, unless the other citizenship was acquired involuntarily"
},
"residency requirement for naturalization":{
"text":"5 years"
}
},
"Suffrage":{
"text":"18 years of age; universal"
},
"Executive branch":{
"chief of state":{
"text":"King CARL XVI GUSTAF (since 15 September 1973); Heir Apparent Princess VICTORIA Ingrid Alice Desiree (daughter of the monarch, born 14 July 1977)"
"text":"the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually becomes the prime minister"
"text":"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)"
"text":"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%"
"text":"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":{
"text":"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":{
"text":"first instance, appellate, general, and administrative courts; specialized courts that handle cases such as land and environment, immigration, labor, markets, and patents"
"text":"Center Party (Centerpartiet) or C [Annie LOOF]<br>Christian Democrats (Kristdemokraterna) or KD [Ebba BUSCH]<br>Green Party (Miljopartiet de Grona) or MP [Marta STEVENI and Per BOLUND]<br>Left Party (Vansterpartiet) or V [Nooshi DADGOSTAR]<br>Liberal Party (Liberalerna) or L [Nyamko SABUNI]<br>Moderate Party (Moderaterna) or M [Ulf KRISTERSSON]<br>Swedish Social Democratic Party (Socialdemokraterna) or SAP [Magdalena ANDERSSON]<br>Sweden Democrats (Sverigedemokraterna) or SD [Jimmie AKESSON]"
"text":"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"
},
"National symbol(s)":{
"text":"three crowns, lion; national colors: blue, yellow"
},
"National anthem":{
"name":{
"text":"\"Du Gamla, Du Fria\" (Thou Ancient, Thou Free)"
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> in use since 1844; also known as \"Sang till Norden\" (Song of the North), is based on a Swedish folk tune; it has never been officially adopted by the government; \"Kungssangen\" (The King's Song) serves as the royal anthem and is played in the presence of the royal family and during certain state ceremonies"
"text":"Royal Domain of Drottningholm (c), Laponian Area (m), High Coast/Kvarken Archipelago (n), Birka and Hovgården (c), Hanseatic Town of Visby (c), Church Town of Gammelstad, Luleå (c), Naval Port of Karlskrona (c), Rock Carvings in Tanum (c), Engelsberg Ironworks (c), Mining Area of the Great Copper Mountain in Falun (c)"
"text":"<p>Sweden’s small, open, and competitive economy has been thriving and Sweden has achieved an enviable standard of living with its combination of free-market capitalism and extensive welfare benefits. Sweden remains outside the euro zone largely out of concern that joining the European Economic and Monetary Union would diminish the country’s sovereignty over its welfare system.</p> <p></p> <p>Timber, hydropower, and iron ore constitute the resource base of a manufacturing economy that relies heavily on foreign trade. Exports, including engines and other machines, motor vehicles, and telecommunications equipment, account for more than 44% of GDP. Sweden enjoys a current account surplus of about 5% of GDP, which is one of the highest margins in Europe.</p> <p></p> <p>GDP grew an estimated 3.3% in 2016 and 2017 driven largely by investment in the construction sector. Swedish economists expect economic growth to ease slightly in the coming years as this investment subsides. Global economic growth boosted exports of Swedish manufactures further, helping drive domestic economic growth in 2017. The Central Bank is keeping an eye on deflationary pressures and bank observers expect it to maintain an expansionary monetary policy in 2018. Swedish prices and wages have grown only slightly over the past few years, helping to support the country’s competitiveness.</p> <p></p> <p>In the short and medium term, Sweden’s economic challenges include providing affordable housing and successfully integrating migrants into the labor market.</p>"
"text":"iron and steel, precision equipment (bearings, radio and telephone parts, armaments), wood pulp and paper products, processed foods, motor vehicles"
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> data cover general government debt and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intragovernmental debt; intragovernmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions"
"text":"Sweden’s telecom market includes mature mobile and broadband sectors stimulated by investment of the main operators in new technologies; one of the best developed LTE infrastructures in the region; ranked among leading countries for fixed-line, mobile-cellular, Internet, and broadband penetration; best developed LTE infrastructure in the region; government promotes national broadband strategy to increase connectivity (2020)"
"text":"fixed-line just over 16 per 100 and mobile-cellular roughly 128 per 100; coaxial and multiconductor cables carry most of the voice traffic; parallel microwave radio relay systems carry some additional telephone channels (2020)"
"text":"country code - 46; landing points for Botina, SFL, SFS-4, Baltic Sea Submarine Cable, Eastern Light, Sweden-Latvia, BCS North-Phase1, EE-S1, LV-SE1, BCS East-West Interlink, NordBalt, Baltica, Denmark-Sweden-15,-17,-18, Scandinavian Ring -North,-South, IP-Only Denmark-Sweden, Donica North, Kattegate-1,-2, Energinet Laeso-Varberg and GC2 submarine cables providing links to other Nordic countries and Europe; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Sweden shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Norway) (2019)"
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments"
"text":"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"
"text":"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)"
"text":"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 (2021)"
"text":"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 (2021)",
"note":"note(s) - Sweden conscripts about 5,500 men and women each year; as of 2019, women made up about 9% of the military's full-time personnel"
"text":"<p>Sweden maintains a policy of military non-alignment, but cooperates with NATO and regional countries; it joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace program in 1994 and has contributed to NATO-led missions, including those in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kosovo</p> <p>the Swedish military cooperates closely with the military forces of other Nordic countries through the Nordic Defense Cooperation (NORDEFCO), which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden; areas of cooperation include armaments, education, human resources, training and exercises, and operations; NORDEFCO was established in 2009<strong></strong></p> <p>Sweden is a signatory of the EU’s Common Security and Defense Policy and contributes to CSDP missions and operations</p>"
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in Appendix-T"
