Youth for Christ ministry in Sweden is still in the target stage. This means key contacts have been identified, and a ministry plan is being developed but ministry has not yet commenced.

About Sweden

Sweden

Map of Sweden

Introduction

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.

Geography

Location

Location: Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, Kattegat, and Skagerrak, between Finland and Norway
Geographic Coordinates: 62 00 N, 15 00 E

Area

Total Area: 450,295 sq km Rank: 55
Land Area: 410,335 sq km
Water Area: 39,960 sq km
Comparison: slightly larger than California
Land Boundaries: 2,233 km
Bordering Countries: Finland 614 km, Norway 1,619 km
Coastline: 3,218 km

Climate

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

Terrain

mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west

Elevations

Lowest Point: reclaimed bay of Lake Hammarsjon, near Kristianstad -2.4 m
Highest Point: Kebnekaise 2,111 m

Natural Resources

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

Land Use

Arable land: 5.93%
Permanent Crops: 0.01%
Other: 94.06% (2005)
Irrigated Land: 1,150 sq km (2003)
Renewable Water Resources: 179 cu km (2005)
Total Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): 2.68 cu km/yr (37%/54%/9%)
Freshwater Withdrawal Per Capita: 296 cu m/yr (2002)

Environment

Natural Hazards: ice floes in the surrounding waters, especially in the Gulf of Bothnia, can interfere with maritime traffic
Environmental Issues: acid rain damage to soils and lakes; pollution of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea
Environmental Agreements: 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

Geography Notes

strategic location along Danish Straits linking Baltic and North Seas

People

Population: 9,059,651 (July 2010 est.) Rank: 88

Age Structure

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) (2010 est.)
Median Age: 40.6 years

Population Growth

Growth Rate: 0.158% (2010 est.) Rank: 186
Birth Rate: 10.13 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) Rank: 194
Death Rate: 10.21 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) Rank: 58
Net Migration Rate: 1.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) Rank: 46

Urbanization

Urban Population: 85% of total population (2008)
Rate of Urbanization: 0.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Life and Death

Infant Mortality Rate: 2.75 deaths/1,000 live births Rank: 222
Life Expectancy at Birth: 80.86 years Rank: 9
Fertility Rate: 1.67 children born/woman (2010 est.) Rank: 173

Health and Disease

HIV/AIDS - Adult Prevalence Rate: 0.1% (2007 est.) Rank: 126
People living with HIV/AIDS: 6,200 (2007 est.) Rank: 120
HIV/AIDS Deaths: fewer than 100 (2007 est.) Rank: 148

Nationality and Culture

Noun: Swede(s)
Adjective: Swedish
Ethnic Groups: indigenous population: Swedes with Finnish and Sami minorities; foreign-born or first-generation immigrants: Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks
Religion: Lutheran 87%, other (includes Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist) 13%
Languages: Swedish, small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities

Education

Literacy (Meaning, age 15 and over can read and write): 99% Male: 99% Female: 99% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): 16 years Male: 15 years Female: 17 years (2006)
Education expenditures: 7.1% of GDP (2005) Rank: 21

Government

Country Name

Conventional Long Form: Kingdom of Sweden
Conventional Short Form: Sweden
Local Long Form: Konungariket Sverige
Local Short Form: Sverige
Government Type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Stockholm Geographic Coordinates: 59 20 N, 18 03 E

Administrative divisions

21 counties (lan, singular and plural); Blekinge, Dalarna, Gavleborg, Gotland, Halland, Jamtland, Jonkoping, Kalmar, Kronoberg, Norrbotten, Orebro, Ostergotland, Skane, Sodermanland, Stockholm, Uppsala, Varmland, Vasterbotten, Vasternorrland, Vastmanland, Vastra Gotaland
Independence: 6 June 1523 (Gustav VASA elected king)
National holiday: Swedish Flag Day, 6 June (1916); National Day, 6 June (1983)
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

Executive Branch

Chief of State: King CARL XVI GUSTAF (since 19 September 1973); Heir Apparent Princess VICTORIA Ingrid Alice Desiree, daughter of the monarch (born 14 July 1977)
Head of Government: Prime Minister Fredrik REINFELDT (since 5 October 2006)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister
Elections: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition usually becomes 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)
Elections: last held on 19 September 2010 (next to be held in September 2014)
Election Results: percent of vote by party - Social Democrats 30.7%, Moderates 30.1%, Greens 7.3%, Liberal People's Party 7.1%, Center Party 6.6%, Sweden Democrats 5.7%, Christian Democrats 5.6%, Left Party 5.6%; seats by party - Social Democrats 112, Moderates 107, Greens 25, Liberal People's Party 24, Center Party 23, Sweden Democrats 20, Christian Democrats 19, Left Party 19

Judicial branch

Supreme Court or Hogsta Domstolen (judges are appointed by the prime minister and the cabinet)

Politics

Political Parties and Leaders: Center Party [Maud OLOFSSON]; Christian Democratic Party [Goran HAGGLUND]; Environment Party the Greens [no formal leader but party spokespersons are Maria WETTERSTRAND and Peter ERIKSSON]; Left Party or V (formerly Communist) [Lars OHLY]; Liberal People's Party [Jan BJORKLUND]; Moderate Party (liberal-conservative) [Fredrik REINFELDT]; Social Democratic Party [Mona SAHLIN]; Sweden Democrats [Jimmie AKESSON]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Children's Rights in Society; Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees or TCO; Swedish Federation of Trade Unions or LO
Other: media
International Organization Participation: ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MONUC, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOGIP, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Flag Description: blue with a golden yellow cross extending 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); the colors reflect those of the Swedish coat of arms - three gold crowns on a blue field

Economy

Economy Overview: Aided by peace and neutrality for the whole of the 20th century, Sweden has achieved an enviable standard of living under a mixed system of high-tech capitalism and extensive welfare benefits. It has a modern distribution system, excellent internal and external communications, and a skilled labor force. In September 2003, Swedish voters turned down entry into the euro system concerned about the impact on the economy and sovereignty. Timber, hydropower, and iron ore constitute the resource base of an economy heavily oriented toward foreign trade. Privately owned firms account for about 90% of industrial output, of which the engineering sector accounts for 50% of output and exports. Agriculture accounts for little more than 1% of GDP and of employment. Until 2008, Sweden was in the midst of a sustained economic upswing, boosted by increased domestic demand and strong exports. This and robust finances offered the center-right government considerable scope to implement its reform program aimed at increasing employment, reducing welfare dependence, and streamlining the state's role in the economy. Despite strong finances and underlying fundamentals, the Swedish economy slid into recession in the third quarter of 2008 and growth continued downward in the first half of 2009 as deteriorating global conditions reduced export demand and consumption.

Gross Domestic Product

GDP (purchasing power parity): $331.4 billion (2009 est.) Rank: 35
GDP - real growth rate: -5.1% (2009 est.) Rank: 187
GDP - per capita (PPP): $36,600 (2009 est.) Rank: 30
GDP - Composition by Sector: Agriculture: 1.6% Industry: 26.7% Services: 71.6% (2009 est.)

Labor Force

Labor Force: 4.91 million (2009 est.) Rank: 75
Labor force - by occupation: Agriculture: 1.1% Industry: 28.2% Services: 70.7% (2008 est.)
Unemployment Rate: 8.3% (2009 est.) Rank: 94

Poverty

Population below poverty line: NA
country comparison to the world: 13
$313.5 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
Roadways:
total: 572,900 km (includes 1,855 km of expressways)
country comparison to the world: 12
note: (includes 98,400 km of state roads and 433,500 km of private roads; 215,700 km are open to public traffic) (2009)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: none

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