Languages spoken in Sweden
Europe · Capital: Stockholm · Population 10.6 million
The official language of Sweden is Swedish. A further one language holds official status at regional level: Finnish. An estimated 95% of the population speaks it as a first or additional language, or roughly 10.1 million people. After Swedish, the most widely spoken are English at 86% and Finnish at 2.2%. Swedish belongs to the Indo-European language family. Swedish is also spoken in one of its two neighbours: Finland. In total, three languages are recorded in Sweden, and their shares add up to 183.2% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 1.8 of them.
What languages are spoken in Sweden?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| SwedishIndo-European | 95% | Official | 10.1 million |
| EnglishIndo-European | 86% | Spoken | 9.1 million |
| FinnishUralic | 2.2% | Official (regional) | 232,976 |
Percentages are the share of the population that speaks each language, including as a second language, so they add up to well over 100% in multilingual countries. Speaker counts are estimates derived from the percentage and the country's population, not counted figures.
What is the official language of Sweden?
The official language of Sweden is Swedish. A further one language is official at regional or state level: Finnish. Swedish is spoken by an estimated 95% of the population, or roughly 10.1 million people, counting both first-language and additional speakers.
Official status comes from Unicode CLDR. It distinguishes languages that are official nationwide, those used as de facto official without being named in law, and those official only in particular regions or territories.
How many people speak Swedish in Sweden?
An estimated 95% of Sweden's 10.6 million people speak Swedish, which works out at roughly 10.1 million speakers. That figure is derived from the population and the reported share, and it counts second-language speakers, so it is an estimate rather than a census count.
Key facts about Sweden
- Capital
- Stockholm
- Population
- 10.6 million
- Continent
- Europe
- Area
- 450,295 km²
- Currency
- SEK
- Languages recorded
- 3
- Land borders
- 2
- ISO codes
- SE / SWE / 752
Which countries border Sweden?
Sweden shares a land border with two countries: Finland and Norway. Swedish, the most widely spoken language in Sweden, is also spoken in Finland.
Explore more
Language shares, population, and official status: Unicode CLDR. Capital, area, borders, and currency: mledoze/countries (ODbL 1.0). Flag image: flagcdn.com. Speaker counts are estimates derived from population and reported share.