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FIGURE 1. Population and population density, 1972 (U/OU) (chart)

C. Population

1. Size and distribution

With an area of approximately 175,000 square miles, Sweden has the third most extensive land area in Europe (excluding the Soviet Union) and it occupies almost one-tenth of the land surface of the European continent. In size of population, however, it ranks only 18th, accounting for less than 2% of the non-Russian European total. Furthermore, Sweden's population is characterized by an extremely low growth rate. As of 1 July 1972 the population of Sweden was an estimated 8,133,000, of which 48,070 derived from net immigration. The excess of births over deaths, however, reached only 30,213 in the previous year. Thus, while the population growth rate averaged 0.98%, without immigration the rate would be an infinitesimal 0.38%.

The most striking aspects of the distribution of the population within Sweden are low density, unevenness, and the existence of relatively small urban agglomerates compared to other highly developed countries in Western Europe. The average density of Sweden's population, 47 persons to the square mile in 1970, is somewhat less than that of the United States—55 persons per square mile—and considerably less than those of Western Europe south of the Baltic. Figure 1 depicts population and population density in selected countries. The overall concentration of settlement in the southern third of Sweden is depicted in Figure 2. The average density of population in the area near Malmo, on the southern tip of Sweden, is about seven times the national average, while in the northern province of Norrbotten (which accounts for almost one-fourth of the country's total area) the density is only about one-sixth of the national average. This disparity is explained partly by the severe climate and rugged topography of the northern part of Sweden, which limit its attractiveness for human habitation. Figure 3 shows the population densities per square mile in each of the 24 provinces (Lanner).

The urban population remains relatively decentralized in small communities, towns, and cities despite the development of Sweden into one of the most highly industrialized nations of Europe and despite an accelerating migration of rural workers to the towns. Some 65% of the population may be classified as

FIGURE 2. Major areas of population, 1969 (U/OU)

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APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200090021-3