Sweden

Fika, welfare state, pop music, Nobel Prizes...

Sweden stands out for its welfare society, successful companies, and Nobel Prizes, but there’s much more. It’s also a country with many professional opportunities and job prospects. Studying the language will help you find your place in Sweden and open doors for studying and working in the Scandinavian country. If you’re thinking about studying, working or visiting Sweden, below you’ll find information that can be very useful.

General Information about Sweden

Area: 450,000 km², third largest country in Western Europe.

Capital: Stockholm.

Population: 10.6 million inhabitants | Unemployment: 8.5% (2024).

Languages: Swedish, recognized minority languages: Sami, Finnish, Meänkieli (Tornedal Finnish), Yiddish, Romani.

Form of government: constitutional monarchy, parliamentary democracy.

Dishes:

Janssons frestelse – creamy potato gratin with onion and cured anchovies.
Köttbullar – meatballs served with mashed potatoes and lingonberry sauce (you can find them at Ikea).
Semla – traditional sweet bun. There are several versions, but it’s usually a bun filled with milk and almond paste, topped with whipped cream.
Kanelbulle – cinnamon roll. In Sweden, Kanelbullens dag (Cinnamon Roll Day) is celebrated every October 4th.
Sill – pickled herring in various flavors (mustard, onion, garlic, and dill…). It’s eaten on almost all holidays accompanied by potatoes, sour cream, chives, cheese, eggs, and knäckebröd.

Swedish companies: IKEA, home | Spotify, online music | H&M, fashion | Volvo, cars

Famous Swedes: Astrid Lindgren, writer | Ingmar Bergman, film director | Roxette, pop group | Stieg Larsson, writer.