Total area
450 295 sq. km
Population
10 313 447 (2019)
National currency
Swedish krona
Conditional reduction of currency
SEK
Climate, average max and min t°
Temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly cloudy summers; subarctic in north; avg. maximum temperature (July) +25°; avg. minimum temperature (January) -22°
Time difference from Moscow
- 1 hour
Ethnic groups
Swedes with Finnish and Sami minorities; Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks
History
A military power during the 17th century, Sweden has not participated in any war for 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 and 2009 by the global economic downturns, 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.
Government type
Constitutional monarchy
Executive branch
Cabinet appointed by the Prime Minister
Legislative branch
Unicameral Parliament or Riksdag (349 seats; members are elected by popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court or Hogsta Domstolen (judges are appointed by the prime minister and the cabinet)
GDP per capita rank
20 (2020)
Corruption perceptions index rank
85 (2021)
