Sweden’s coastline is about 11,600 km long. This is Swedish west coast winter archipelago.
Photo: Per Pixel Peterson/imagebank.sweden.se
Key facts about Sweden
Looking for some key facts about Sweden? You’ve come to the right place! Scroll through this list to get a quick overview of the country.
Basic facts about Sweden
Capital: Stockholm
Population: around 10 million, 0.13 per cent of the world’s population
Life expectancy: Men 81 years, women 84 years
Language: Swedish (main language); and five official minority languages: Sami, Finnish, Meänkieli (Tornedalen Finnish), Yiddish and Romani Chib
Religion: The Church of Sweden is Evangelical Lutheran, but there are also many other religions and faiths in the country
National Day: 6 June
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Government
Form of government: Constitutional monarchy, with parliamentary democracy – political power lies with the parliament and government; the monarch has ceremonial functions
Parliament: Called ‘riksdag’ – 349 members of parliament in a single chamber
Head of state: His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf; heir to the throne is Crown Princess Victoria
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Education and work
Education: Ten years of compulsory schooling, but most students continue to the three-year upper secondary school. Around one-third go on to higher education at universities and colleges throughout Sweden
Working hours: Standard work week is 40 hours, minimum paid holiday allowance is 5 weeks
Employment rate (20–64 years): Men: 84%; women: 80%; total: 82%
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Geography and nature
Longest north–south distance: 1,572 km
Longest east–west distance: 499 km
Total area: 528,447 sq km, the fifth largest country in Europe and roughly the same size as California
– Forests: 63%
– Lakes and rivers: 9%
– Marshland: 8%
– Agricultural land: 7%
– Grasslands: 7%
– Urban and industrial land: 3%
– Exposed rock and mountains: 3%
Highest mountain: Kebnekaise (2,099 m)
Biggest lake: Vänern (5,650 sq km)
Number of lakes larger than 100m x 100m: 95,700
Biggest cities and population, including suburbs (2017):
– Stockholm: 2,300,000
– Gothenburg: 1,000,000
– Malmö: 720,000
Number of national parks: 30
Time zone: GMT +1
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Money and trade
Currency: 1 krona (SEK) = 100 öre ≈ EUR 0.095
GDP per capita (PPP): SEK 457,300 (2017)
Most important export goods: Vehicles and machines, pharmaceuticals/chemicals, electronics, minerals, wood products, energy, foods, shoes and clothes
Contacting Sweden
Calling code: +46
Internet code: .se
Source: Statistics Sweden
Useful links
scb.se – Statistics Sweden, official statistics about Sweden
ekonomifakta.se – facts related to Swedish economy
ec.europa.eu/eurostat – Eurostats, official statistics about the EU
data.worldbank.org – World Bank Open Data, official statistics about the world
Last updated: 10 October 2018