Northern Europe · SWE

Sweden

The story · 11 chapters

How it was drawn

Rock carvers and Vikings of the east, a medieval kingdom that took Finland, broke free of the Kalmar Union, became a Baltic empire, lost it to Russia, and stayed at peace from 1814 until joining NATO in 2024.

Play the story Take the first lesson

Through the ages

Rivals in history

The kingdoms, empires and states Sweden fought or stood against, from the first to today.

Novgorod Republic1240 to 1323
Sweden and Novgorod fought for Finland and Karelia. Novgorod's prince Alexander beat a Swedish force on the Neva in 1240, Sweden founded the castle of Vyborg in 1293, and the Treaty of Noteborg in 1323 drew the first border between them.
Danish kings of the Kalmar Union1397 to 1523
Swedish nobles and peasants revolted repeatedly against union kings ruling from Denmark, as under Engelbrekt in 1434. Christian II's execution of about 80 opponents in the Stockholm Bloodbath of 1520 sparked Gustav Vasa's revolt, which ended the union for Sweden in 1523.
Denmark-Norway1563 to 1720
A long struggle for mastery of Scandinavia: the Northern Seven Years' War, the Kalmar War and the wars of 1643 to 1660 that won Sweden its southern provinces. Denmark tried to retake Scania in 1675 to 1679 and 1709 to 1720 but failed.
Tsardom of Russia1590 to 1617
Sweden and Muscovy fought over Estonia, Ingria and Karelia. During Russia's Time of Troubles Swedish troops even held Novgorod. The Treaty of Stolbovo in 1617 gave Sweden Ingria and cut Russia off from the Baltic for almost a century.
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth1600 to 1660
After Sigismund III of Poland lost the Swedish crown in 1599, the dynastic quarrel became decades of war over Livonia and Prussia. Sweden's invasion of 1655, the Deluge, devastated Poland, and the Peace of Oliva in 1660 confirmed Swedish Livonia.
Habsburg emperors1630 to 1648
Sweden entered the Thirty Years' War in 1630 against the Habsburg emperor Ferdinand II and the Catholic League. Its armies won at Breitenfeld in 1631 and fought across Germany until the Peace of Westphalia in 1648.
Russia1700 to 1809
In the Great Northern War Charles XII won at Narva in 1700 but was crushed by Peter the Great at Poltava in 1709, losing the Baltic provinces in 1721. Further wars ended with the loss of Finland in 1809.
Kingdom of Norway1814 to 1905
When Norwegians declared independence in 1814, Sweden invaded and forced them into a union under the Swedish king. Norway's parliament dissolved the union in 1905; war was avoided, and Sweden accepted at Karlstad.
Soviet Union1945 to 1991
Sweden stayed non-aligned in the Cold War but prepared for a Soviet attack. The Soviet submarine U 137 ran aground near the naval base of Karlskrona in 1981, and suspected submarine intrusions continued through the 1980s.

Today

Sweden now

A military power during the 17th century, Sweden maintained a policy of military non-alignment until it applied to join NATO in 2022. Sweden has not participated in any war for two centuries. Stockholm preserved an armed neutrality in both World Wars. Since then, Sweden has pursued a successful economic formula consisting of a capitalist system intermixed with substantial welfare elements. Sweden joined the EU in 1995, but the public rejected the introduction of the euro in a 2003 referendum.

Capital: Stockholm
Government: parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Head of government: Ulf Kristersson
Head of state: Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
Languages: Swedish
Area: 528,860 km²

Through time

Then and now

Population10.6 million2023 · 7.0 million in 1950
Life expectancy83.3 years2023 · 71.1 years in 1950
GDP per person$47,1262022 · $10,742 in 1950
Living in cities89%2025 · 65% in 1950
Literacy99%1950
Political regimeLiberal democracy2025 · Liberal democracy in 1950
Military alliancesNATO2024 · None of these in 1950
Military spending2.5% of GDP2025
War deathsNone2025

Population: HYDE 3.3, Gapminder and UN WPP. GDP per capita: Maddison Project Database 2023. Urban share: UN WPP. Life expectancy: Riley, HMD, UN WPP. Literacy: OWID historical estimates, World Bank, UNESCO. Military spending: SIPRI. War deaths: UCDP. Political regime: V-Dem, Regimes of the World. All via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0). Alliances and organization memberships: compiled by Atlas. Satellites in orbit: CelesTrak SATCAT. Modern borders, backcast.

Relations

Close partners and tensions

Close partners

United States
France

Summarised from World Bank and Wikipedia data, updated 24 October 2026.

Rivals in history

The kingdoms, empires and states Sweden fought or stood against, from the first to today.

Novgorod Republic1240 to 1323

Sweden and Novgorod fought for Finland and Karelia. Novgorod's prince Alexander beat a Swedish force on the Neva in 1240, Sweden founded the castle of Vyborg in 1293, and the Treaty of Noteborg in 1323 drew the first border between them.

Danish kings of the Kalmar Union1397 to 1523

Swedish nobles and peasants revolted repeatedly against union kings ruling from Denmark, as under Engelbrekt in 1434. Christian II's execution of about 80 opponents in the Stockholm Bloodbath of 1520 sparked Gustav Vasa's revolt, which ended the union for Sweden in 1523.

Denmark-Norway1563 to 1720

A long struggle for mastery of Scandinavia: the Northern Seven Years' War, the Kalmar War and the wars of 1643 to 1660 that won Sweden its southern provinces. Denmark tried to retake Scania in 1675 to 1679 and 1709 to 1720 but failed.

Tsardom of Russia1590 to 1617

Sweden and Muscovy fought over Estonia, Ingria and Karelia. During Russia's Time of Troubles Swedish troops even held Novgorod. The Treaty of Stolbovo in 1617 gave Sweden Ingria and cut Russia off from the Baltic for almost a century.

Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth1600 to 1660

After Sigismund III of Poland lost the Swedish crown in 1599, the dynastic quarrel became decades of war over Livonia and Prussia. Sweden's invasion of 1655, the Deluge, devastated Poland, and the Peace of Oliva in 1660 confirmed Swedish Livonia.

Habsburg emperors1630 to 1648

Sweden entered the Thirty Years' War in 1630 against the Habsburg emperor Ferdinand II and the Catholic League. Its armies won at Breitenfeld in 1631 and fought across Germany until the Peace of Westphalia in 1648.

Russia1700 to 1809

In the Great Northern War Charles XII won at Narva in 1700 but was crushed by Peter the Great at Poltava in 1709, losing the Baltic provinces in 1721. Further wars ended with the loss of Finland in 1809.

Kingdom of Norway1814 to 1905

When Norwegians declared independence in 1814, Sweden invaded and forced them into a union under the Swedish king. Norway's parliament dissolved the union in 1905; war was avoided, and Sweden accepted at Karlstad.

Soviet Union1945 to 1991

Sweden stayed non-aligned in the Cold War but prepared for a Soviet attack. The Soviet submarine U 137 ran aground near the naval base of Karlskrona in 1981, and suspected submarine intrusions continued through the 1980s.

Sweden now

Capital

Stockholm

Government

parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Head of government

Ulf Kristersson

Head of state

Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden

Languages

Swedish

Area

528,860 km²

Then and now

Population10.6 million2023 · 7.0 million in 1950

Life expectancy83.3 years2023 · 71.1 years in 1950

GDP per person$47,1262022 · $10,742 in 1950

Living in cities89%2025 · 65% in 1950

Literacy99%1950

Political regimeLiberal democracy2025 · Liberal democracy in 1950

Military alliancesNATO2024 · None of these in 1950

Military spending2.5% of GDP2025

War deathsNone2025