When someone asks you something about Sweden, it's good to have these numbers in the back of your mind so that you don't seem completely ignorant about the country you live in. We list some interesting facts about Sweden.
Sweden's Area
Sweden ranks 57th in the world and 6th in Europe in terms of size. Sweden covers an area of 410,000 km², with:
- 68% of it being forest
- 7% arable land
- 3% built-up areas
- 22% is open wetland and other land.
GDP per capita
Sweden ranks 12th in the world with $55,873 per inhabitant (2022). The top three countries are Luxembourg with $126,426, Norway with $106,149, and Ireland with $104,039.
Sweden's Largest Lakes
Sweden has over 100,000 lakes, and the largest ones are:
- Lake Vänern: 5,519 km²
- Lake Vättern: 1,886 km²
- Lake Mälaren: 1,090 km²
- Lake Hjälmaren: 477 km²
- Lake Storsjön: 456 km²
Sweden's Largest Cities according to the latest statistics
All the cities (urban areas) have a population of 9,088 million. Here are the biggest cities in Sweden.
- Stockholm: 1,617,407 inhabitants
- Gothenburg: 607,882 inhabitants
- Malmö: 325,069 inhabitants
- Uppsala: 166,698 inhabitants
- Upplands Väsby and Sollentuna: 149,701 inhabitants
- Västerås: 128,660 inhabitants
- Örebro: 126,604 inhabitants
- Linköping: 115,682 inhabitants
- Helsingborg: 113,828 inhabitants
- Jönköping: 100,579 inhabitants
Sweden's Population
Sweden's population has increased from 10,057,698 in 2017 to 10,536,632 in 2023, which is an increase of approximately 4.8% over five years. Sweden is expected to have 11 million inhabitants by 2028. Historical population:
- 1767: 2 million inhabitants
- 1863: 4 million inhabitants
- 1923: 6 million inhabitants
- 1969: 8 million inhabitants
- 2017: 10 million inhabitants
Most Popular Names in Sweden (girls and boys)
Top 10 girls' names according to the latest statistics:
- Vera
- Elsa
- Alma
- Selma
- Alice
- Signe
- Ellie
- Olivia
- Astrid
- Ella
Top 10 boys' names according to the latest statistics:
- Noah
- Hugo
- William
- Liam
- Nils
- Oliver
- Elias
- Adam
- August
- Sam
Most common occupations in Sweden
Women:
- Nursing assistants: 123,400
- Childcare workers: 80,400
- Elementary school teachers: 79,200
Men:
- Warehouse and terminal staff: 67,100
- Sales representatives: 66,200
- Data system developers: 62,900
Sweden's Most Important Industries
- Chemicals, oil, and pharmaceuticals: 19.5%
- Machinery industry: 16.2%
- Steel, metal production, and metal products: 12.5%
- Wood products, paper, and pulp: 9.4%
- Electronics, electrical equipment, and optics: 6.7%
- Food: 5.6%
- Other manufacturing: 4.9%
- Rubber and plastic products: 3.9%
Sources: SCB, UI, SMHI
Photo: Michael Erhardsson
