Background:
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| 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 was challenged in the 1990s by high unemployment and in 2000-02 by the global economic downturn, but fiscal discipline over the past several years has allowed the country to weather economic vagaries. Sweden joined the EU in 1995, but the public rejected the introduction of the euro in a 2003 referendum. |
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Location:
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| Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, Kattegat, and Skagerrak, between Finland and Norway
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Geographic coordinates:
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62 00 N, 15 00 E
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Map references:
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Area:
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total: 450,295 sq km
country comparison to the world: 62
land:
410,335 sq km
water:
39,960 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly larger than California
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Land boundaries:
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total: 2,233 km
border countries:
Finland 614 km, Norway 1,619 km
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Coastline:
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3,218 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm (adjustments made to return a portion of straits to high seas)
exclusive economic zone:
agreed boundaries or midlines
continental shelf:
200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation
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Climate:
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temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly cloudy summers; subarctic in north
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Terrain:
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mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: reclaimed bay of Lake Hammarsjon, near Kristianstad -2.4 m
highest point:
Kebnekaise 2,111 m
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Natural resources:
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iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, gold, silver, tungsten, uranium, arsenic, feldspar, timber, hydropower
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Land use:
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arable land: 5.93%
permanent crops:
0.01%
other:
94.06% (2005)
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Irrigated land:
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1,150 sq km (2003)
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Total renewable water resources:
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179 cu km (2005)
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Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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total: 2.68 cu km/yr (37%/54%/9%)
per capita:
296 cu m/yr (2002)
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Natural hazards:
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ice floes in the surrounding waters, especially in the Gulf of Bothnia, can interfere with maritime traffic
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Environment - current issues:
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acid rain damage to soils and lakes; pollution of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
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Geography - note:
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strategic location along Danish Straits linking Baltic and North Seas |
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Population:
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| 9,059,651 (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 88
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 15.7% (male 733,597/female 692,194)
15-64 years:
65.5% (male 3,003,358/female 2,927,038)
65 years and over:
18.8% (male 753,293/female 950,171) (2009 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 41.5 years
male:
40.4 years
female:
42.6 years (2009 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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0.158% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 186
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Birth rate:
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10.13 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 194
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Death rate:
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10.21 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 61
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Net migration rate:
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1.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 48
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Urbanization:
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urban population: 85% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization:
0.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.79 male(s)/female
total population:
0.98 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 2.75 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 222
male:
2.91 deaths/1,000 live births
female:
2.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 80.86 years
country comparison to the world: 10
male:
78.59 years
female:
83.26 years (2009 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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1.67 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 173
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.1% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 125
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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6,200 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 119
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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fewer than 100 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 132
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Nationality:
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noun: Swede(s)
adjective:
Swedish
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Ethnic groups:
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indigenous population: Swedes with Finnish and Sami minorities; foreign-born or first-generation immigrants: Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks
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Religions:
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Lutheran 87%, other (includes Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist) 13%
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Languages:
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Swedish, small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population:
99%
male:
99%
female:
99% (2003 est.)
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School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
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total: 16 years
male:
15 years
female:
17 years (2006)
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Education expenditures:
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7.1% of GDP (2005)
country comparison to the world: 21
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