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Key Demographic Features of Sweden*

Location: Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and Skagerrak, between Finland and Norway
Map references: Europe

People

Population: 8,900,954 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 19% (male 860,940; female 815,967)
15-64 years: 64% (male 2,884,687; female 2,794,593)
65 years and over: 17% (male 654,439; female 890,328) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.56% (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 4.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.06 years
male: 75.62 years
female: 80.63 years (1996 est.)
Ethnic divisions: white, Lapp (Sami), foreign-born or first-generation immigrants 12% (Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks)
Religions: Evangelical Lutheran 94%, Roman Catholic 1.5%, Pentecostal 1%, other 3.5% (1987)
Languages: Swedish
note: small Lapp- and Finnish-speaking minorities
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1979 est.)
total population: 99%
male: NA%
female: NA%

Government

Country Abbreviation: SW
Type of government: constitutional monarchy
Independence: 6 June 1523, Gustav VASA was elected king; 6 June 1809, a constitutional monarchy was established
National holiday: Day of the Swedish Flag, 6 June
Constitution: 1 January 1975
Legal system: civil law system influenced by customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Social Democratic Party, Goran PERSSON; Moderate Party (conservative), Carl BILDT; Liberal People's Party, Maria LEISSNER; Center Party, Olof JOHANSSON; Christian Democratic Party, Alf SVENSSON; New Democracy Party, Vivianne FRANZEN; Left Party (VP; Communist), Gudrun SCHYMAN; Communist Workers' Party, Rolf HAGEL; Green Party, no formal leader but party spokesperson is Briger SCHLAUG
International organization participation: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN, EBRD, ECE, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 6, G- 8, G- 9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OECD, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAVEM III, UNCRO, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UNPREDEP, UNPROFOR, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Carl Henrik Sihver LILJEGREN
chancery: 1501 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20005
telephone: [1] (202) 467-2600
FAX: [1] (202) 467-2699
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas L. SIEBERT
embassy: Strandvagen 101, S-115 89 Stockholm
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [46] (8) 783 53 00
FAX: [46] (8) 661 19 64
Flag: blue with a yellow cross that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)

Economy

Economic overview:
GDP: purchasing power parity - $177.3 billion (1995 est.)
GDP real growth rate: 3.5% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $20,100 (1995 est.)
Unemployment rate: 7.8% (December 1995) plus about 6% in training programs

Communications

Telephones: 7.41 million (1986 est.)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 5, FM 360 (mostly repeaters), shortwave 0
Radios: 7.272 million (1993 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 880 (mostly repeaters)
Televisions: 3.5 million

*Source: World Factbook 1996, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency

The World Factbook contains many additional demographic variables that may be of interest to persons who wish to examine a particular country in more depth. To access the World Factbook, Click Here. (This link will open a new window)