Sweden imports

During the age of the Vikings Swedish trade flourished. The main occupations of the Vikings were farming and trade. Parts of Sweden were well-known trade centres in the Baltic region. From their expeditions the Vikings brought back goods that could not be found in Sweden like gold, silver, textiles and salt. In exchange they brought among other things tools made of iron and other metals that were to be found in Sweden.

But as the power of the Vikings decreased Sweden was an economically backward country for centuries. At the end of the 19th century, Sweden was one of the poorest countries in Europe. The industrialisation changed this dramatically. An economic boom took place, that was strongly connected to the building of railroads, allowing access to natural assets (forests, iron ore, hydropower) in northern Sweden. Those assets are still considered the traditional basis of the Swedish economy.

Today, the industry is specialised and uses high-level technology solutions in order to compete globally. International trade is the engine of the Swedish economy. Sweden is an export-oriented country and dependent on imported goods. Sweden imports mostly electronic and telecom equipment, machinery, foodstuffs, crude oil, textile products, footwear and passenger cars.

Swedish major imports by important commodity groups

Source: SCB