Sweden Languages

The official language of Sweden is Swedish, which shares many similarities with Norwegian and Danish. A Northern Germanic language, Swedish is descended from Old Norse. Its alphabet, which is comprised of twenty nine letters with twenty six characters, is taken from the basic Latin along with three additional letters: Å/å, Ä/ä, and Ö/ö, which were added in the 16^th century. There are six groups of Swedish dialects spoken in the country including Gotland, Götaland, Norrland, Svealand, South Swedish, and Finland Swedish.

The wide majority of citizens living in Sweden speak Swedish. The language became the country’s official language on July 1, 2009 according to a newly adopted law governing language. The number of native speakers in the country is estimated to be ten million. Swedish is also spoken in neighboring Nordic countries such as in Norway, Denmark, and Finland. Modern Swedish descended from a variety of 19^th century central Swedish dialects. Although many localized dialects still exist, the Swedish language spoken by most residents is standardized both in terms of its written and spoken forms.

To welcome someone in the Swedish language it is appropriate to say, “Välkommen” while a casual hello can be communicated with, “Hej” or “Hallå”. To inquire as to someone’s name is to ask, “Vad heter du?” and “where are you from?” can be translated to, “Varifrån kommer du?” Another useful Swedish phrase, “Var snäll och tala långsammare” translates into a request for someone to speak more slowly.

Official minority languages in Sweden include Finnish, Sami, Romani, Meänkieli, and Yiddish. Many Swedish citizens also have a strong grasp of English. A 2005 study found that 85% of people currently living in the Scandinavian country could speak English.

This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018

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Published on 2019-11-06


Capital	Stockholm
Languages	Swedish (official)
Ethnic Groups	Indigenous population: Swedes with Finnish and Sami minorities; most common countries of origin among immigrants: Finland, Syria, Iraq, Poland, Iran
Religion	Church of Sweden (Lutheran) 63%, other (includes Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist) 17% (2016 est.)
Government	Parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Independance	6 June 1523 (Gustav VASA elected king of Sweden marking the abolishment of the Kalmar Union between Denmark, Norway, and Sweden)
Area	450,295.00 km²
Water Area	39,960.00 km²
Land Area	410,335.00 km²
Population	9,880,604.00 Most Swedes live in the south where there the climate is more mild and there is better connectivity to mainland Europe; population clusters are found all along the Baltic coast in the east; the interior areas of the north remain sparsely populated
Location	Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, Kattegat, and Skagerrak, between Finland and Norway
No. Bordering Countries	2
Bordering Countries	Finland 545 km, Norway 1,666 km
GDP(PPP)	$498,000,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$49,700.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partners are Norway, Germany, and the United States.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are machinery, motor vehicles, paper products, pulp, and wood.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are Germany, the Netherlands, and Norway.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include machinery, petroleum and petroleum products, and chemicals.
Climate	Temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers
Terrain	Mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west
Learn More	Sweden

Sweden Languages

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