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Sweden

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Northern Europe

Sweden is home to 5 documented ethnic groups in Northern Europe — led by Swedish (~77%), Sweden Immigrant Other (~12%), Sweden Immigrant European (~8%), Sweden Finnish Tornedalian (~3%). This page blends their phenotype and demographic data into one weighted reference: skin tone, facial features, hair texture and build, drawn from published census and ancestry sources.

Demographic Composition

Composition weights are derived from self-identification in published census and demographic surveys. Each row links to the source ethnic-group atlas page.

Ethnic groupWeightSource
SwedishSwedish77.0%Statistics Sweden 2024; Swedes (~77%, ~8.0M+ of ~10.5M total). North Germanic ethnic group, predominantly Lutheran Protestant historically (Church of Sweden) with substantial post-2000s religious decline
Sweden Immigrant OtherSweden Immigrant Other11.8%Statistics Sweden 2024; immigrant-descended Swedes from non-European source countries (~12%, ~1.24M+); predominantly Syrian (~190,000+, the substantial post-2015 Syrian refugee community — Sweden was the largest per-capita Syrian refugee receiver in Europe through 2015-2016), Iraqi (~150,000+, post-2003 refugee community), Iranian (~80,000+, post-1979 refugee community), Somali (~75,000+, post-1990 refugee community), Eritrean, Afghan, Turkish, Lebanese, Chilean (post-1973-coup refugees), Ethiopian, plus other source populations
Sweden Immigrant EuropeanSweden Immigrant European8.0%Statistics Sweden 2024; immigrant-descended Swedes from European source countries (~8%, ~840,000+); predominantly Polish (~100,000+), former-Yugoslav (substantial post-1992 Bosnian refugee resettlement), German, Romanian, Estonian, plus other European source populations
Sweden Finnish TornedalianSweden Finnish Tornedalian3.0%Statistics Sweden 2024 plus academic estimates; Sweden Finns and Tornedalians (~3%, ~315,000+); the Indigenous Finnish-language minorities of Sweden including Tornedalians (Meänkieli speakers of the Tornedalen river valley) plus the substantial post-1945 Sweden-Finn labor-migration community
Sami SwedenSami Sweden0.2%Statistics Sweden plus Sámi Parliament estimates; Swedish Sámi (~0.2%, ~20,000+); the Indigenous Sámi people of northern Sweden

Sweden Phenotype Profile

Sweden has a Swedish-majority demographic profile (~77%) with substantial post-2015 immigration including Syrian (~2%), Iraqi, Iranian, Somali, Eritrean, plus broader European immigrants. Sweden has been one of the most demographically transformed Western European countries through post-1990s immigration. Adult Swedish male mean stature approximately 180-182 cm.

A descriptive view, not a claim about individuals

This page shows a weighted aggregate of phenotype observations across the Sweden population, based on demographic composition from published census and ancestry sources. Phenotypes within any country are far more varied than the aggregate suggests; this is a descriptive reference, not a deterministic claim about any individual. For source-level detail on individual ethnic groups, see the constituent atlas pages linked below.

Methodology Notes

Composition weights derived from Statistics Sweden 2024 estimates.

See full project methodology →

Primary Sources

  1. 1.Statistics Sweden (SCB). Population by Country of Birth and Origin 2024. Stockholm: SCB; 2024.
  2. 2.Scott F. Sweden: The Nation's History. University of Minnesota Press; 1977.
  3. 3.Margaryan A, Lawson DJ, Sikora M, et al. Population genomics of the Viking world. Nature. 2020;585(7825):390-396.
  4. 4.Hagen R. The Sami: People of the Sun and Wind. Ájtte Museum; 2014.
  5. 5.Schierup CU, Hansen P, Castles S. Migration, Citizenship, and the European Welfare State: A European Dilemma. Oxford University Press; 2006.

Other countries in Northern Europe

Aggregate phenotype references for neighbouring Northern Europe nations, weighted by demographic composition.

Browse all Northern Europeethnic groups & countries →