Northern Europe

Sweden Travel Podcast with Anton Lindqvist

Hosted by Anton Lindqvist — a new episode every day from Sweden.

Travelling in Sweden means moving through a country of almost 100,000 lakes, from the flat or gently rolling lowlands of the south to the mountains and subarctic interior in the west and north. The show follows that contrast town by town, with attention to how the Baltic coast and the Danish Straits tie Sweden to the wider region.

The programme ranges from Stockholm and Gothenburg to the Baltic island of Öland and the subarctic mining town of Kiruna. It also stops in places that reward returning: the lake landscape around Vänern, the forests of Småland, the old port of Sundsvall. Every location is chosen because it matters locally, not because it is a tourist headline.

The show unfolds in ordinary time. He returns to a place in winter and again in the late spring light, so a stretch of coast or a town square accumulates memory. By the third visit, the subarctic north feels less distant and the southern lowlands more settled, and each season changes what the other left behind.

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The basics

Sweden at a glance

Capital

Stockholm

Population 2025

10,596,620

Area

450,295 sq km

Languages

Swedish (official)

Time zone

UTC+1

Currency

Swedish kronor (SEK)

GDP per capita 2025

$63,133

Life expectancy 2024

84.1 years

Urban population 2025

89.1%

Inflation 2025

0.7%

Internet users 2025

95.8%

Government

Parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Country file

Sweden in depth

Reference data on the country — geography, people, history, economy and transport.

Geography and climate

Location

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

Terrain

Mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west

Climate

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

Elevation

Highest point: Kebnekaise South 2,100 m
Lowest point: Reclaimed bay of Lake Hammarsjon, near Kristianstad -2.4 m
Mean elevation: 320 m

Area

Total: 450,295 sq km
Land: 410,335 sq km
Water: 39,960 sq km

Size comparison

Almost three times the size of Georgia; slightly larger than California

Coastline

3,218 km

Land borders

Total: 2,211 km
Border countries: Finland 545 km; Norway 1,666 km

Natural resources

Iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, gold, silver, tungsten, uranium, arsenic, feldspar, timber, hydropower

Land use

Agricultural land: 7.3% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 6.2% (2023 est.)
Permanent crops: 0% (2023 est.)
Permanent pasture: 1.1% (2023 est.)
Forest: 68.6% (2023 est.)
Other: 23.8% (2023 est.)

Natural hazards

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

Note

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

People and society

Population

Total: 10,643,745 (2025 est.)
Male: 5,360,755
Female: 5,282,990

Nationality

Noun: Swede(s)
Adjective: Swedish

Ethnic groups

Swedish 79.6%, Syrian 1.9%, Iraqi 1.4%, Finnish 1.3%, other 15.8%

(2022 est.)

Languages

Languages: Swedish (official)
Major-language sample(s): The World Factbook, den obestridliga källan för grundläggande information. (Swedish)

Religions

Church of Sweden (Lutheran) 53.9%, other (includes Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist) 8.9%, none or unspecified 37.2% (2021 est.)

Median age

Total: 41.2 years (2025 est.)
Male: 40.1 years
Female: 42.1 years

Life expectancy

Total population: 82.9 years (2024 est.)
Male: 81.2 years
Female: 84.7 years

Urbanisation

Urban population: 88.7% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.89% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Where people live

Most of the population lives in the south where the climate is milder and there is better connectivity to mainland Europe; population clusters are found along the Baltic coast in the east; the interior areas of the north remain sparsely populated

Largest cities

1.700 million STOCKHOLM (capital) (2023)

Background and government

Background

A military power during the 17th century, Sweden maintained a policy of military non-alignment until it applied to join NATO in 2022. Sweden has not participated in any war for two centuries. Stockholm preserved an armed neutrality 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 20% in 2022.

Government

Parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Capital

Stockholm

Time zone

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Local name

Konungariket Sverige

Independence

6 June 1523 (Gustav VASA elected king of Sweden, marking the abolishment of the Kalmar Union of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden)

National day

National Day, 6 June (1983)

Economy and cost of living

Overview

High-income, largest Nordic economy; EU member but does not use the euro; export-oriented, led by automotive, electronics, machinery, and pharmaceuticals; highly ranked for competitiveness, R&D investments and governance; recovery, with falling inflation and real wage growth balanced by risks from trade uncertainty

GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2024: $63,300 (2024 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2023: $62,800 (2023 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2022: $63,200 (2022 est.)

Inflation

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024: 2.8% (2024 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023: 8.5% (2023 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022: 8.4% (2022 est.)

Unemployment

Unemployment rate 2024: 8.6% (2024 est.)
Unemployment rate 2023: 7.7% (2023 est.)
Unemployment rate 2022: 7.4% (2022 est.)

Exchange rate

Currency: Swedish kronor (SEK) per US dollar -
Exchange rates 2024: 10.568 (2024 est.)
Exchange rates 2023: 10.61 (2023 est.)
Exchange rates 2022: 10.114 (2022 est.)
Exchange rates 2021: 8.577 (2021 est.)
Exchange rates 2020: 9.21 (2020 est.)

Main industries

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

Agriculture

Milk, wheat, sugar beets, barley, potatoes, oats, rapeseed, pork, chicken, beef (2023)

Transport and connectivity

Airports

206 (2025)

Railways

Total: 10,910 km (2020) 8,184 km electrified
Narrow gauge: 65 km

Ports

Total ports: 92 (2024)
Large: 3
Medium: 10
Small: 30
Very small: 49
Ports with oil terminals: 49
Key ports: Falkenberg, Goteborg, Helsingborg, Karlsborg, Karlshamn, Lulea, Malmo, Norrkoping, Stockholm, Sundsvall, Uddevalla, Varberg, Vasteras