World Factbook
Sweden
Konungariket Sverige
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
410,335 sq km
water
39,960 sq km
total
450,295 sq km
Climate
temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly cloudy summers; subarctic in north
Terrain
mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west
Land use
other
23.8% (2023 est.)
forest
68.6% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
7.3% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 6.2% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 0% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 1.1% (2023 est.)
Location
Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, Kattegat, and Skagerrak, between Finland and Norway
Coastline
3,218 km
Elevation
lowest point
reclaimed bay of Lake Hammarsjon, near Kristianstad -2.4 m
highest point
Kebnekaise South 2,100 m
mean elevation
320 m
Irrigated land
510 sq km (2016)
Map references
Europe
Land boundaries
total
2,211 km
border countries
Finland 545 km; Norway 1,666 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea
12 nm (adjustments made to return a portion of straits to high seas)
continental shelf
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone
agreed boundaries or midlines
Natural hazards
ice floes in the surrounding waters, especially in the Gulf of Bothnia, can interfere with maritime traffic
Geography - note
strategic location along Danish Straits linking Baltic and North Seas; Sweden has almost 100,000 lakes, the largest of which, Vanern, is the third-largest in Europe
Natural resources
iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, gold, silver, tungsten, uranium, arsenic, feldspar, timber, hydropower
Area - comparative
almost three times the size of Georgia; slightly larger than California
Geographic coordinates
62 00 N, 15 00 E
Population distribution
most of the population lives in the south where the climate is milder and there is better connectivity to mainland Europe; population clusters are found along the Baltic coast in the east; the interior areas of the north remain sparsely populated
Major lakes (area sq km)
fresh water lake(s)
Vanern - 5,580 sq km; Vattern - 1,910 sq km; Malaren - 1,140 sq km