Facts about Sweden
Here you will find information about Sweden.
Description and statistics
Sweden is when it comes to size the fifth largest country in Europe, bordering Norway, Finland and Denmark. There are currently approximately 10.5 million people living in Sweden. Roughly 3.5 million people live in and around the three largest cities in the country: Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö. Stockholm is Sweden's capital with approximately 1.4 million inhabitants. Approximately 20 percent of the Swedish population is born abroad, which equates to over 2 million people.
Tax-financed activities and government
Healthcare, schools and childcare, police and fire departments and other operations are funded through tax. This means that everyone who has an income will need to pay a small fraction of the income for these purposes.
There are many authorities in Sweden and a lot of activities here are carefully regulated. Some people who come from other countries think the Swedish bureaucracy is complicated but there are countries in the world that have an even more extensive bureaucracy.
Freedom of religion
Today Swedes have many different origins. Sweden is a secularized society and it is actually considered to be perhaps the most secularized country in the world. There is no link between church and state but many of the Swedish laws are based on Christian values and this is how it is like in other countries in the Western world as well. In Sweden, we have freedom of religion. That means everyone has a right to their own beliefs, to practice their religion, change religion, or to have no religion at all.
Church and state
Instead of religion being the central point that holds people together, as it is in many countries, the common ground for many Swedes is trust and confidence in the state. An example based on the high level of trust is, among other things, the willingness of residents to pay taxes, which is rooted in the idea that everyone works, pays taxes and in this way contributes to society.
Film tip – Freedom of religion
See the film Freedom of religion
External link, opens in new window.
The “Start Talking About” films are jointly produced by MILSA education platform and InformationSverige.se.
