Stockholm, Sweden Population

The city of Stockholm is the capital of Sweden and the most populous city in the country, as well as all of Scandinavia. There are currently 1.6 million people living the urban area and 1.5 that live in the city area. The city spans across 14 islands, covering a total area of 188 square kilometres. It is called Venice of the North and Beauty on the Water for its expanse of bridges and canals. Because of its relatively small size, Stockholm’s population density is quite high at 4,279 people per square kilometre. Stockholm is the economic, cultural, and political center of Sweden.

An economic powerhouse

The city accounts for more than a third of the country’s GDP and is one of the top cities in Europe for GDP per capita. The headquarters of 13 Fortune Global 500 companies, including LM Ericsson and H&M, reinforces Stockholm’s economic power. The city’s international trade power places it as the 34th top exporter in the world. It ships almost US$160.5 billion worth of goods around the world. The largest and most profitable exports include cars, drugs and medicines, refined petroleum oils, mobile phones, automotive parts, fish, wood, and paper.

Stockholm demographics

Stockholm has the highest number of foreign-born residents, with about 15% of residents that are foreign-born. There are 27% of Stockholmers that are immigrants or from non-Swedish backgrounds. Many of the city’s immigrant population live in the city’s suburbs. The city’s largest foreign populations are Finns (with 18,000), Iraqis (16,400), and Iranian (11,600).

There are a wide variety of languages spoken in the city, including Swedish, Finnish, English, Bosnian, Arabic, Syriac, Dutch, Turkish, Croatian, Serbian, and more. In the past few years, there have been growing tensions between native-born residents and immigrants. In 2013, immigrant youths rioted for four days and many people believe that Sweden is failing to effectively integrate newcomers to the city.

Stockholm Syndrome

The psychological condition known as Stockholm Syndrome, when hostages begin to identify with their captors, originated during one of Sweden’s most famous crimes. In 1973, the Norrmalmstorg robbery occurred at a bank in the city centre. Over the course of the six days it took for the hostage situation to be resolved, the hostages they had taken began to sympathize with their captors.

This resulted in psychological interest in what had occurred. It has since been observed in numerous high-profile kidnapping and hostage cases, including the famous Patty Hearst kidnapping.

Tons of cyclists

Bicycling is not only done for exercise in Stockholm, but for practicality. Almost 70,000 Stockholmers take their bikes to work each day. There are dedicated bike lanes throughout the city and there are rarely any accidents between bicyclists and vehicles. Bicycling is so popular and easy in Stockholm that it’s one of the recommended ways for tourists to get around the city and see the sites.

Tourism in Stockholm

Stockholm has a huge tourism industry, with close to 13.5 million overnight stays and 3 out of 10 foreign visitors choosing to spend some nights in the city. Much of the tourists visiting Stockholm are from within Sweden, with 64%.

The Nobel Prize

The Nobel Prize is a set of international awards given in recognition of academic, cultural, or scientific advances. They were established in 1895 in the will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel. The Nobel prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology, Medicine, or Literature are awarded in Stockholm during an annual ceremony held on December 10 at the Stockholm Concert Hall. Winners of the Nobel Prize (known as laureates) receive a gold medal, a diploma, and a sum of money as decided by the Nobel Foundation. Each prize is worth around US$935,000.