Sweden’s application to join Nato in May marks a major shift away from its longstanding position as a neutral state, stretching back to 1812. Sweden’s outward image is however as a home to global brands and chart-topping hits.
But Sweden has also been dented by gang-related gun crime, which has tested traditional Swedish values such as inclusiveness and tolerance. The ruling center-right coalition has been left looking weak after winning power on a promise to end the violence.
Sweden – Home to Global Brands and Chart-Topping Hits, article continues below chart.
However, Sweden’s EU presidency in the first half of 2023 was widely viewed as a success. Among the achievements was the historic Fit for 55 package designed to reduce the European Union’s greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030. It is part of the union’s strategy of the European Green Deal presented first in December 2019. Sweden already sources 60 per cent of its energy from renewables and aims to be free from fossil fuel by 2045.
Sweden’s top-50 brands collectively grew by 12 per cent in 2023. Ikea, Volvo, Spotify and H&M remain important to the nation’s success at home and abroad.
Sweden’s status as a musical powerhouse was confirmed by hits for global megastars such as Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran by the country’s producers and songwriters. A record seventh win at the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest also hit a soft-power bullseye.
Sweden’s enormous global cultural clout, especially in popular music, remains disproportionate to its relatively small population of about 10.5 million.
Sweden – Home to Global Brands and Chart-Topping Hits, compiled by Tor Kjolberg
Feature image (on top): Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran. Screenshot from YouTube.