Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
tion's most startling result, the far-right nationalist Sweden Democrats doubled their pro-
portion of the vote, becoming the third-largest party in parliament. This is sure to cause
friction as the other parties have all said they will not work with the Sweden Democrats.
People & Immigration
Sweden's population is relatively small given the size of the country - with 9.72 million
people spread over the third-largest country in Western Europe, it has one of the lowest
population densities on the continent. Most Swedes live in the large cities of Stockholm,
Göteborg, Malmö and Uppsala. Conversely, the interior of Norrland is sparsely populated.
About 30,000 Finnish speakers form a substantial minority in the northeast, near
Torneälven.
Swedish culture strongly values socially progressive ideas such as gender and racial
equality, gay rights, a free press and free expression, transparency in government, environ-
mental protection and workers' rights. At the same time, racial and religious tensions have
increased in recent years, as the number of foreign-born Swedes has grown. Currently
around 15% of the population was born outside Sweden. Equality is a straightforward
enough goal in a small, homogenous society, but Sweden's relatively sudden diversity has
required some adjustment, and it hasn't always gone smoothly. Resistance to immigration
by fringe groups and nationalist political parties has led to some ugly clashes. And immig-
ration is on the rise.
Sweden first opened its borders to mass immigration during WWII. At the time it was a
closed society, and new arrivals were initially expected to assimilate and 'become
Swedish'. But in 1975 parliament adopted a new set of policies that formally recognised
the freedom to preserve and celebrate traditional native cultures.
In recent years, Sweden has been a leader in welcoming immigrants and refugees from
Middle Eastern and African countries. In 2007, for example, the small town of Södertälje,
30km south of Stockholm, welcomed 1268 Iraqi refugees - more than what was accepted
that year by the US and Canada combined. In 2014, the Swedish government announced
that it would take unlimited numbers of Syrian refugees for permanent residence.
Views on immigration - whether it should be restricted or kept relatively open - are
now the number one factor as Sweden's many political parties and coalitions grapple for
power.
