*Sweden, Economy
Overview:
Aided by a long period of peace and neutrality during World War I through
World War II, Sweden has achieved an enviable standard of living under a
mixed system of high-tech capitalism and extensive welfare benefits. It has
a modern distribution system, excellent internal and external
communications, and a skilled labor force. Timber, hydropower, and iron ore
constitute the resource base of an economy that is heavily oriented toward
foreign trade. Privately owned firms account for about 90% of industrial
output, of which the engineering sector accounts for 50% of output and
exports. In the last few years, however, this extraordinarily favorable
picture has been clouded by inflation, growing unemployment, and a gradual
loss of competitiveness in international markets. Although Prime Minister
BILDT'S center-right minority coalition had hoped to charge ahead with
free-market-oriented reforms, a skyrocketing budget deficit - almost 13% of
GDP in FY94 projections - and record unemployment have forestalled many of
the plans. Unemployment in 1993 is forecast at around 7% with another 5% in
job training. Continued heavy foreign exchange speculation forced the
government to cooperate in late 1992 with the opposition Social Democrats on
two crisis packages - one a severe austerity pact and the other a program to
spur industrial competitiveness - which basically set economic policy
through 1997. In November 1992, Sweden broke its tie to the EC's ECU, and
the krona has since depreciated around 2.5% against the dollar. The
government hopes the boost in export competitiveness from the depreciation
will help lift Sweden out of its 3-year recession. To curb the budget
deficit and bolster confidence in the economy, BILDT continues to propose
cuts in welfare benefits, subsidies, defense, and foreign aid. Sweden
continues to harmonize its economic policies with those of the EC in
preparation for concluding its EC membership bid by 1995.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $145.6 billion (1992)
National product real growth rate:
-1.7% (1992)
National product per capita:
$16,900 (1992)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.3% (1992)
Unemployment rate: 5.3% (1992)
Budget:
revenues $70.4 billion; expenditures $82.5 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (FY92)
Exports:
$56 billion (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
machinery, motor vehicles, paper products, pulp and wood, iron and steel
products, chemicals, petroleum and petroleum products
partners:
EC 55.8% (Germany 15%, UK 9.7%, Denmark 7.2%, France 5.8%), EFTA 17.4%
(Norway 8.4%, Finland 5.1%), US 8.2%, Central and Eastern Europe 2.5% (1992)
Imports:
$51.7 billion (c.i.f., 1992)
commodities:
machinery, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, motor vehicles,
foodstuffs, iron and steel, clothing
partners:
EC 53.6% (Germany 17.9%, UK 6.3%, Denmark 7.5%, France 4.9%), EFTA (Norway
6.6%, Finland 6%), US 8.4%, Central and Eastern Europe 3% (1992)
External debt:
$19.5 billion (1992 est.)
*Sweden, Economy
Industrial production:
growth rate -3.0% (1992)
Electricity:
39,716,000 kW capacity; 142,500 million kWh produced, 16,560 kWh per capita
(1992)
Industries:
iron and steel, precision equipment (bearings, radio and telephone parts,
armaments), wood pulp and paper products, processed foods, motor vehicles
Agriculture:
animal husbandry predominates, with milk and dairy products accounting for
37% of farm income; main crops - grains, sugar beets, potatoes; 100%
self-sufficient in grains and potatoes; Sweden is about 50% self-sufficient
in most products; farming accounted for 1.2% of GDP and 1.9% of jobs in 1990
Illicit drugs:
increasingly used as transshipment point for Latin American cocaine to
Europe and gateway for Asian heroin shipped via the CIS and Baltic states
for the European market
Economic aid:
donor - ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $10.3 billion
Currency:
1 Swedish krona (SKr) = 100 ore
Exchange rates:
Swedish kronor (SKr) per US$1 - 6.8812 (December 1992), 5.8238 (1992),
6.0475 (1991) 5.9188 (1990), 6.4469 (1989), 6.1272 (1988)
Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June
*Sweden, Communications
Railroads:
12,000 km total; Swedish State Railways (SJ) - 10,819 km 1.435-meter
standard gauge, 6,955 km electrified and 1,152 km double track; 182 km
0.891-meter gauge; 117 km rail ferry service; privately-owned railways - 511
km 1.435-meter standard gauge (332 km electrified) and 371 km 0.891-meter
gauge (all electrified)
Highways:
97,400 km total; 51,899 km paved, 20,659 km gravel, 24,842 km unimproved
earth
Inland waterways:
2,052 km navigable for small steamers and barges
Pipelines:
natural gas 84 km
Ports:
Gavle, Goteborg, Halmstad, Helsingborg, Kalmar, Malmo, Stockholm; numerous
secondary and minor ports
Merchant marine:
179 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,473,769 GRT/3,227,366 DWT; includes
10 short-sea passenger, 29 cargo, 3 container, 43 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 13
vehicle carrier, 2 railcar carrier, 32 oil tanker, 27 chemical tanker, 4
specialized tanker, 2 liquefied gas, 2 combination ore/oil, 10 bulk, 1
combination bulk, 1 refrigerated cargo
Airports:
total:
253
usable:
250
with permanent-surface runways:
139
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
12
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
94
Telecommunications:
excellent domestic and international facilities; 8,200,000 telephones;
mainly coaxial and multiconductor cables carry long-distance network;
parallel microwave network carries primarily radio, TV and some telephone
channels; automatic system; broadcast stations - 5 AM, 360 (mostly
repeaters) FM, 880 (mostly repeaters) TV; 5 submarine coaxial cables;
satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 EUTELSAT
*Sweden, Defense Forces
Branches:
Swedish Army, Swedish Navy, Swedish Air Force
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 2,156,720; fit for military service 1,884,121; reach
military age (19) annually 57,383 (1993 est.)
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $6.7 billion, 3.8% of GDP (FY92/93)
*Switzerland, Geography
Location:
Western Europe, between France and Austria
Map references:
Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
41,290 km2
land area:
39,770 km2
comparative area:
slightly more than twice the size of New Jersey
Land boundaries:
total 1,852 km, Austria 164 km, France 573 km, Italy 740 km, Liechtenstein
41 km, Germany 334 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none; landlocked
International disputes:
none
Climate:
temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool
to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers
Terrain:
mostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with a central plateau
of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes
Natural resources:
hydropower potential, timber, salt
Land use:
arable land:
10%
permanent crops:
1%
meadows and pastures:
40%
forest and woodland:
26%
other:
23%
Irrigated land:
250 km2 (1989)
Environment:
dominated by Alps
Note:
landlocked; crossroads of northern and southern Europe; along with
southeastern France and northern Italy, contains the highest elevations in
Europe