Factbook
History of Sweden — Timeline
Key dates in the history of Sweden, from the Magna Factbook and the Universal Encyclopedia.
1523Independence: 6 June 1523 (Gustav VASA elected king of Sweden, marking the abolishment of the Kalmar Union of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden).
1995Sweden joined the EU in 1995, but the public rejected the introduction of the euro in a 2003 referendum.
2000The share of Sweden’s population born abroad increased from 11.3% in 2000 to 20% in 2022.
2021Languages: Swedish (official) Religions: Church of Sweden (Lutheran) 53.9%, other (includes Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist) 8.9%, none or unspecified 37.2% (2021 est.) Urban population: 88.7% of total population (2023).
2022A military power during the 17th century, Sweden maintained a policy of military non-alignment until it applied to join NATO in 2022.
2023Generation mix — fossil fuels: 0.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); nuclear: 28.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 1.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 21% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 40.2% of total install Energy use: 142.102 million Btu/person (2023 est.).
2023Industries: iron and steel, precision equipment (bearings, radio and telephone parts, armaments), wood pulp and paper products, processed foods, motor vehicles Agriculture: milk, wheat, sugar beets, barley, potatoes, oats, rapeseed, pork, chicken, beef (2023) Electricity access: 100% (2022 est.).
2023Major urban areas: 1.700 million STOCKHOLM (capital) (2023) high-income, largest Nordic economy; EU member but does not use the euro; export-oriented, led by automotive, electronics, machinery, and pharmaceuticals; highly ranked for competitiveness, R&D investments and governance; recovery, with falling inflation and real wage growth balanced by risks from trade uncertainty Inflation: 2.8% (2024 est.).
2025Military spending: 2.5% of GDP (2025 est.).
2025Population: 10.6 million (2025 estimate).
