2000 Edition

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.

Area

land

410,934 sq km

total

449,964 sq km

water

39,030 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly larger than California

Climate

temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly cloudy summers; subarctic in north

Coastline

3,218 km

Elevation extremes

highest point

Kebnekaise 2,111 m

lowest point

Baltic Sea 0 m

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, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geographic coordinates

62 00 N, 15 00 E

Geography - note

strategic location along Danish Straits linking Baltic and North Seas

Irrigated land

1,150 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries

border countries

Finland 586 km, Norway 1,619 km

total

2,205 km

Land use

arable land

7%

forests and woodland

68%

other

24% (1993 est.)

permanent crops

0%

permanent pastures

1%

Location

Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, Kattegat, and Skagerrak, between Finland and Norway

Map references

Europe

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)

Natural hazards

ice floes in the surrounding waters, especially in the Gulf of Bothnia, can interfere with maritime traffic

Natural resources

zinc, iron ore, lead, copper, silver, timber, uranium, hydropower

Terrain

mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west

Age structure

0-14 years: 18% (male 837,358; female 794,774) 15-64 years: 64% (male 2,901,809; female 2,805,138) 65 years and over: 18% (male 648,865; female 885,108) (2000 est.)

Birth rate

10.01 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate

10.62 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Ethnic groups

indigenous population: Swedes and Finnish and Lapp (Sami) minorities; foreign-born or first-generation immigrants: Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks

Infant mortality rate

3.49 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Languages

Swedish

note

small Lapp- and Finnish-speaking minorities

Life expectancy at birth

female

82.37 years (2000 est.)

male

76.95 years

total population

79.58 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

NA%

male

NA%

total population

99% (1979 est.)

Nationality

adjective

Swedish

noun

Swede(s)

Net migration rate

0.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Population

8,873,052 (July 2000 est.)

Population growth rate

0.02% (2000 est.)

Religions

Lutheran 87%, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist

Sex ratio

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female

total population

0.98 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.53 children born/woman (2000 est.)

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

Capital

Stockholm

Constitution

1 January 1975

Country name

conventional long form

Kingdom of Sweden

conventional short form

Sweden

local long form

Konungariket Sverige

local short form

Sverige

Data code

SW

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Lyndon Lowell OLSON, Jr.

embassy

Strandvagen 101, S-115 89 Stockholm

mailing address

American Embassy Stockholm, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5750 (pouch)

telephone

(8) 783 53 00

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

1501 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20005-1702

chief of mission

Ambassador Rolf EKEUS

telephone

(202) 467-2600

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the prime minister

chief of state

King CARL XVI GUSTAF (since 19 September 1973); Heir Apparent Princess VICTORIA Ingrid Alice Desiree, daughter of the monarch (born 14 July 1977)

election results

Goran PERSSON reelected prime minister with 131 out of 349 votes

elections

the monarch is hereditary; prime minister elected by the Parliament; election last held NA September 1998 (next to be held NA 2002)

head of government

Prime Minister Goran PERSSON (since 21 March 1996)

FAX

(202) 467-2699

(8) 661 19 64

consulate(s) general

Los Angeles and New York

Flag description

blue with a yellow cross that extends 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)

Government type

constitutional monarchy

Independence

6 June 1523 (Gustav VASA elected king)

International organization participation

AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 6, G- 9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (guest), NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOGIP, UNMOP, UNOMIG, UNTAET, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC

Judicial branch

Supreme Court or Hogsta Domstolen, judges are appointed by the government (prime minister and cabinet)

Legal system

civil law system influenced by customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Legislative branch

unicameral Parliament or Riksdag (349 seats; members are elected by popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms)

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

elections

last held 20 September 1998 (next to be held NA September 2002)

National holiday

Day of the Swedish Flag, 6 June

Political parties and leaders

Center Party ; Christian Democratic Party ; Communist Workers' Party ; Green Party [no formal leader but party spokesperson is Briger SCHLAUG]; Left Party or VP (formerly Communist) [Gudrun SCHYMAN]; Liberal People's Party ; Moderate Party (conservative) ; New Democracy Party ; Social Democratic Party

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

grains, sugar beets, potatoes; meat, milk

Budget

expenditures

$146.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY95/96)

revenues

$109.4 billion

Currency

1 Swedish krona (SKr) = 100 oere

Debt - external

$66.5 billion (1994)

Economic aid - donor

ODA, $1.7 billion (1997)

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. Sweden decided not to join the euro system at its outset in January 1999 but plans to hold a referendum in 2000 on whether to join. GDP growth is forecast for 4% in 2000, buttressed by solid consumer confidence.

Electricity - consumption

135.098 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports

16.8 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports

6.1 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production

156.772 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

6.09%

hydro

46.49%

nuclear

45.16%

other

2.26% (1998)

Exchange rates

Swedish kronor (SKr) per US$1 - 8.4831 (January 2000), 8.2624 (1999), 7.9499 (1998), 7.6349 (1997), 6.7060 (1996), 7.1333 (1995)

Exports

$85.7 billion (f.o.b., 1999)

Exports - commodities

machinery 35%, motor vehicles, paper products, pulp and wood, iron and steel products, chemicals

Exports - partners

EU 57% (Germany 11%, UK 9%, Denmark 6%, Finland 5%), Norway 9%, US 9% (1998)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $184 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

2.2%

industry

30.5%

services

67.3% (1997)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $20,700 (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

3.8% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 3.7% highest 10%: 20.1% (1992)

Imports

$67.9 billion (f.o.b., 1999)

Imports - commodities

machinery, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, motor vehicles, iron and steel; foodstuffs, clothing

Imports - partners

EU 68% (Germany 19%, UK 10%, Denmark 6%, France 6%), Norway 8%, US 6% (1998)

Industrial production growth rate

3% (1999 est.)

Industries

iron and steel, precision equipment (bearings, radio and telephone parts, armaments), wood pulp and paper products, processed foods, motor vehicles

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

0.4% (1999 est.)

Labor force

4.3 million (1996)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 2%, industry 24%, services 74% (1999 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Unemployment rate

5.5% plus about 5% in training programs (1999 est.)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

29 (1999)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 265, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios

8.25 million (1997)

Telephone system

excellent domestic and international facilities; automatic system

domestic

coaxial and multiconductor cable carry most voice traffic; parallel microwave radio relay network carries some additional telephone channels

international

5 submarine coaxial cables; 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)

Telephones - main lines in use

6.017 million (December 1998)

Telephones - mobile cellular

3.835 million (October 1998)

Television broadcast stations

163 (1997)

Televisions

4.6 million (1997)

Airports

256 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total

147 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 80 914 to 1,523 m: 28 under 914 m: 25 (1999 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

109 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 104 (1999 est.)

Heliports

1 (1999 est.)

Highways

paved

163,453 km (including 1,439 km of expressways)

total

210,907 km

unpaved

47,454 km (1998 est.)

Merchant marine

ships by type

bulk 6, cargo 26, chemical tanker 33, combination ore/oil 4, liquified gas 1, petroleum tanker 23, rail car carrier 1, roll-on/roll-off 43, short-sea passenger 4, specialized tanker 6, vehicle carrier 18 (1999 est.)

total

165 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,301,633 GRT/1,726,018 DWT

Pipelines

natural gas 84 km

Ports and harbors

Gavle, Goteborg, Halmstad, Helsingborg, Hudiksvall, Kalmar, Karlshamn, Malmo, Solvesborg, Stockholm, Sundsvall

Railways

standard gauge

12,821 km 1.435-m gauge (7,918 km electrified and 1,152 km double track) (1998)

total

12,821 km (includes 3,594 km of privately-owned railways)

Waterways

2,052 km navigable for small steamers and barges

Military branches

Swedish Army, Royal Swedish Navy, Swedish Air Force

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$5 billion (FY98)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

2.1% (FY98)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 2,067,631 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 1,809,129 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - military age

19 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males

51,962 (2000 est.)

Disputes - international

none

SWITZERLAND