Sweden Overview

With the design world cooing over bright, blocky Swedish furniture and college students donning knock-off designs from H&M, Scandinavia’s largest nation has earned a reputation abroad for its chic, mass-marketable style. At home, Sweden’s struggle to balance a market economy with its generous social welfare system stems from its belief that all citizens should have access to education and health care. This neutral nation’s zest for spending money on butter instead of guns has also shored up a strong sense of national unity, from Sámi reindeer herders in the Lappland forests to bankers in bustling Stockholm.

• Essentials

Official Name: Kingdom of Sweden. Capital: Stockholm. Major Cities: Gothenburg, Malmö. Population: 9,045,000. Time Zone: GMT +1. Language: Swedish. Religion ...more

• Beyond Tourism

Summer employment is often easier to find than long-term work, since Sweden has fairly strict regulations governing the employment of foreigners. For more info on opportunities across Europe, see Beyond ...more