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9. Moving to Sweden

Sweden at a Glance

Moving to Sweden

Sweden's beautiful countryside attracts visitors and expats alike.

When you move to Sweden, one of the first things you will probably recognize is the egalitarian spirit prevalent throughout the country. While Sweden used to be a significant military power throughout the 17^th century, the country has, in fact, not participated in any war in over two hundred years.

While Swedes are eager to make anyone moving to Sweden feel at home, there is more to this Scandinavian country. Beautiful archipelagos, breath-taking coastlines and vibrant cities await expatriates moving to Sweden.

Moving to Sweden: Location and Climate

Moving to Sweden will take you to a country in Northern Europe, located right at the Baltic Sea between Norway and Finland. Because of its strategic location, Sweden forms a link between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea.

The climate in the South is temperate with cool, yet often bright, summers and cold winters. The climate in the north is subarctic with extremely long days in the summer and long, cold periods of darkness in the winter, so you might want to move to Sweden’s south if you’d rather experience regular days and nights! The urbanization in Sweden is rather high. Of the country’s 9 million inhabitants, 85% are currently living in major urban areas such as Sweden’s capital Stockholm.

Move to Sweden: Population

Your move to Sweden will take you to a country famous for its calm and often introverted people. What many expats moving to Sweden perceive as shyness, however, mostly stems from a strong sense of politeness and rationality. Although most Swedes do not like to draw attention to themselves, individualism is strong, especially among younger generations.

Upon moving to Sweden, you may soon realize, though, that the younger generation is not that big in Sweden. In fact, with an average age of 42, Swedes have a rather high median age and a high life expectancy to boot. Sweden’s population itself is not that big, though, with only a little over 9 million inhabitants. That’s why you will find a lot of open space and peace and serenity when moving to Sweden.

There is also a small Finnish and Sami minority, but the majority of the foreign consists of immigrants moving to Sweden from other European countries. The majority of the population is Lutheran, and Swedish is the only official language. Despite the lack of significant cultural diversity, however, your move to Sweden will confront you with a people for whom equality and fairness is essential.

Moving to Sweden: Government

Sweden is a constitutional monarchy with a legal system influenced by Roman-Germanic law and customary law. Upon moving to Sweden, you will learn that the country has been independent since June 6^th 1523.

Sweden’s king is considered the head of state while the prime minister and the deputy prime minister form the head of Sweden’s government. It is also the prime minister who is responsible for appointing the cabinet. While the monarchy is, of course, hereditary, the leader of the party with the majority of votes usually becomes the prime minister.

The legislative branch of Sweden’s government consists of the unicameral parliament or Riksdag. The parliament has 349 seats. Its members are elected by popular vote and serve a four-year-term. The Supreme Court or Hogsta Domstolen makes up the judicial branch of the government. Its judges are appointed by the prime minister and the cabinet.