The 10 best reasons to move to Sweden

The Swedish flag at the end of the rainbow

This post will convince you to move to Sweden, even if you fear high taxes, hate the cold and dark, detest Abba and herring, and tremble with the thought of “Swedish socialism“.

10 reasons why you should move to Sweden.

1. Swedish benefits are the best in the world.

Five weeks paid vacation to start. More if you’re older or work for the government.

480 days of paid parental leave = Happy Kids = Good society

Parents get a total of 480 parental days for each child. For most of those days you’ll earn 80% of a salary of up to roughly $45,000 per year, which in Sweden is very good money. Parents have time to bond with their children — one reason why Sweden was recently ranked the best place in the world to grow up.

Cheap daycare, unlimited sick days and free healthcare, need I go on?

2. High taxes aren’t high if you are getting your money’s worth.

I don’t think taxes are too high in Sweden. Yes, if you are a billionaire, like IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad, then you are going to pay a lot of taxes, which is why he moved to Switzerland in 1976.

Even Americans agree the progressive tax system in Sweden is just. A recent poll shows Americans prefer the Swedish system, they just don’t know it.

My income tax is 30%, which is normal by Swedish standards.

Sweden does have a 25% value added tax or consumption tax. That’s high, which is why Swedes go shopping like crazy when they are in the US.

But look at how much I get.

There is universal healthcare in Sweden. You don’t pay anything unless you have to go to the doctor. In that case, you pay a small amount per visit. Last year, I went to see a back surgeon and I paid around $40. For a normal visit to a clinic if you get sick, you’ll pay around $20. For kids under 18, you pay nothing. That’s right, nothing!

Daycare is heavily subsidized. It costs about $120 a month, but you get a monthly child benefit from the government which covers those costs. So basically daycare is free.

And, oh yeah, University is free.

Overall, I am happy with the taxes I pay in Sweden because I get a lot back. I’d rather skip paying the middle man for the essential services, which in the US tends to be huge corporations like insurance and pharmaceutical companies. No thanks, leave them out, I’d rather pay direct to the government.

Want more details on all the Swedish benefits? Check out Sweden.se, an invaluable website that describes all the Swedish benefits in detail.

3. It is cold and dark and then sunny and perfect

Honestly, I didn’t like the cold and dark when I moved here, and I’m not sure I like it now. But the extreme weather doesn’t slow Swedes down at all.

They’re out and about all winter long. They cross-country and downhill ski, ice skate, play hockey, take walks, run, sled, drink coffee, and even put their babies outside to sleep in their carriages. I was amazed the first time I saw it, but it’s true. They say it’s good for them. My kids do it too.

The summer is incredible.

The sun rises before you wake up and sets after you go to bed. If you work until 5 pm, you’ll have 5-6 hours of sun after work. That’s quality time for swimming, kayaking, walking, or picknicking — practically a professional sport here.

Celebrations like Midsummer’s Eve and the August Crayfish party (Even Will Ferrell loves crayfish parties…and Swedish sex habits) are the perfect way to salute the sun.

4. The people are beautiful and they dress well.

OK, this statement is subjective, but I’ve yet to hear anyone challenge it. Do you dare?

5. Sweden is a great place for women

If it’s good for women, it’s good for everyone. This Marie Claire article, reports that women thrive in Sweden, citing a 2005 report from the World Economic Forum that named Sweden the “most advanced country” for women.

6. Get green

If one of the most comprehensive public transportation systems in the world sound good to you, move to Sweden. Trains and buses go everywhere, from the big cities to small skiing villages like Ã…re in the Swedish mountains.

Take my family as an example. We are a family of four, with two children, and we don’t have a car, even though we live in a suburb. Can you do that where you live?

Stockholm was named Europe’s first Green Capital in 2010. Among the reasons cited by the European Union are the city’s successful 25% cut in emissions since 1990, large number of green areas, and the city’s ambitious goal to be independent of fossil fuels by 2050.

All throughout Sweden the air is clean, there is tons of nature and the water is perfect for drinking and swimming.

7. Transparent politics

Sweden always ranks among the top countries in the world in transparency with low levels of corruption. Yes, politicians are still politicians, but in Sweden they are less shady.

8. Strong, independent media

This is the main factor ensuring reason #7 remains on the list. I’ve seen TV shows, both investigative reporting and documentaries, on Swedish public TV that never in a million years would be shown on American public or network TV — maybe not even on cable.

The Swedish media does its job. Journalists cover the important stories, know they should and aren’t afraid to. This, in turn, creates an educated population and a transparent government.

9. You are in Europe

Close to all the other European countries. That means weekend trips, skiing in the Alps, drinking Pinot Noir and savoring fresh mozzarella in Italy, touring the museums of Paris, and anything else you can think of.

10. Will Ferrell is practically a Swede

He is married to one and comes to Sweden for a good part of the summer. Watch the film.

Did I miss any?

Updated: May 15, 2015

164 Replies to “The 10 best reasons to move to Sweden”

  1. I´m not sure everyone´s a winner in our system though. Im not sure I am, but maybe i will in the long run?

    Im a healthy, well educated 33yo married man with no kids, both me and my wife have full time jobs.


    I have no use of the free healthcare neither does my wife, we are just contributing with my money so the people who smoke all their life and catch cancer can get proper free healthcare.
    Since we dont have any kids we wont get any parental leave or use free day care, we just pay our taxes so that those who have kids get higher quality of their lifes.
    We dont have good public transportation where we live, we need and have two cars. Taxes related to owning a car in Sweden vs US is enormous i think. A new VOLVO is about $30000 more expensive here? Swedish gasprices is more than twice the price in the US. The annual car tax, do you even have that in the US?
    Since we both work we dont use the “a-kassa”(free money for enemployed, 80% of your previous income) or expensive education programs that unemployed use.
    We pay a high income tax.
    We pay the 25% value added tax or consumption tax on almost everything we buy.

    +
    We did go to university.
    I have 5 weeks of vacation. On the other hand its not tax money that pay my vacation.
    My wife, who is a teacher, have 9weeks in the summer, three weeks around christmas, one(two?) week in the spring and som days off in the autumn (teachers might be the explanaition to the 33 instead of 25days?), on the other hand she works 45h/week with a low salary. Her entire job is depending on tax money though.
    Hopefully we´ll have kids one day.
    You´ll never know about your health, there might be an accident and you never now about cancer.

    I´m very happy “Alliansen” won the election and i hope that they will continue lower taxes. I dont want to transform Sweden into USA but our taxes is way to high i think. Im also very happy that 90% of our tax money is spent on Swedish welfare instead of a war. I support the US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, but i cant understand how the US taxpayers accept that so much of their money is being spent on wars? Why dont spend the money on their kids instead?

    1. Hi, Im Swedish and have been living here my entire life. I’m studying economics at the moment and just wanted to add that smokers pay more than they should. they contribute with more tax then the healthcare of smokers costs. Count on it and you will see. tobacco and alcohol are actually “good” for the rest of the country’s economy. thats why i smile when i see a smoker. “thanks for paying a part of my tax”…then, you say you dont get anything from the tax you pay. “you are both health and dont need healthcare”. so am I but last monday i was in an accident and had to go by ambulance to hospital and do surgery since i lost all my sensibility in my hand. then im really, really glad i didnt have to pay all the cost. especially since it wasnt my fault that i was hurt. thanks. hope this changed your view on tax a little…

    2. It’s accepted because the government manages to flush our money down the drain anyways. At least when it’s spent in the Military-Industrial complex it leads to technological advances and innovation.

      If it weren’t we’d be giving it away to Indonesia, the Philippines, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa… Basically everybody that hates us anyways because our decadent society is beamed into their living rooms on satellite TV.

      That which isn’t given away is wasted on massive government bureaucracy and our for profit prison industry which the Democratic party uses to ruin the poor’s lives and then put them on government assistance ensuring another generation of Democrat voters.

    3. That good health could change. My husband refused to get insurance because he was always so healthy. Then he got sick and if it hadn’t been for medicare I’d be past broke today. As it was the % they don’t pay was more than secondary ins. would have cost if he hadn’t been stubborn. He died and the bills still keep coming in. Tax money doesn’t pay for my vacation either

    4. You have no idea how lucky you are. At least for one thing I wish some of the Canadians could communicate in English like you guys…

    5. I live in the USA. Just so you know, I pay $1000 a year on my car tax and $4/gallon for gas. I do not live in a “nice” area and still pay $2300 a month to keep my apartment and utilities. I dont have childcare assistance from the government or any other assistance. I cant work full time because I have health issues. I’m a 25 year old mother, going to school full time and my tuition at the local college is $56,000 a year. I have to take out student loans to pay for everything, including food and gas. I’m just guessing, but I think I’d be better off where you are, don’t complain about what you have until you understand the truth of the others you are comparing. When I ask for help with anything, people deny me because I have nice looking clothing and speak like I’m educated. I get no vacation, and am in the hospital frequently, with again NO HELP! Obviously, this isn’t everyone in the US, this is just me. Not to mention, every day my son attends a local school, its a huge battle, with teachers cursing, screaming, crying, not paying attention, allowing our children to get hurt, and then saying things like “I dont care!” when your 5 year old raises his hand to ask a question. Dont judge.

    6. I live in the US and am considering moving to Sweden. Personally, I wouldn’t mind paying higher taxes if it were for a good cause. Our government is so corrupt and is run by corporations now, and we’re perpetually at war. Not to mention, we can’t even trust our police. My sons are half black and I fear for their safety when they leave the house. It is so common for unarmed black men to be killed by the police here. And religion has a stronghold on our country and government.

    1. Extremely difficult?! I would say Swedish is the easiest language to learn out of all the other European languages. Who is to blame that English is a piece of cake? If there is something that I would add to the reasons to move to Sweden is that Swedes are actually very good at speaking English, and are extremely nice to foreigners.

      1. I agree completely. I lived there for 6 months and it only took about 3 to become conversant in the language. I found it much more intuitive than the French I learned in school. Also, it’s a beautiful language.

      2. I have only played with learning Swedish and by yourself it’s kinda tough, but still I am finding it to be a fantastic language and not that difficult, if you want to learn it. I took 5 years of French and had no interest so learnt very little.

      3. Extremely nice to tourist foreigners, the reality is that in general swedish are racist.
        The salaries are really low that is the reason they live in debt all their lives. If you have education -university level or more- dont move to Sweden, go to Germany, Norway, Switzerland… the list is long -even Swedish with education they always push to move out- Sweden is a place where people with low education has a good standard of living. But if it happens that you are a doctor or IT specialist well you will get paid not much more than a plumber. And well yea also if you dont like to work or it happens that you are an alcoholic well welcome the government will pay you, with my taxes.

        1. My biggest mistake leaving Sweden for the USA.
          As soon as the housing market here improves, Bye
          The USA is full of corruption both in government and big business the nation is circling the drain

    2. Yeah, but many, especially in the bigger cities, and around college campuses, speak english very well. Most of the music on the radio is english, and most of the movies shown are american. So depending on how well you learn other languages, if you already speak english, you would be ok. The only real issue with sweden, is unfortunately, jobs. Its real difficult to find one.

      1. This is my 5th month in Sweden with my family, i must confess it’s a beautiful country to live in. Though the takes are high but you can virtually see that it makes the system work do well. You get the value of your tax by enjoying free health care, free education and a lot more. As for the language it’s a little bit hard because of my English background, when you want to translate svenska word to word with English you will get it wrong. I hope to settle down quickly learn the language as soon as possible get a job in my educational field and raise my family here.

  2. please, come to Romania to see how is everything, we also pay taxes, but we pay for everything else, you can always move to another country if you don’t like yours:(

  3. I agree with you. I think that Sweden is a great place to live. I have been here for almost a year and yes, there are things that annoy me at times – that happens wherever you live – but I think that Swedes make the most of everything they have. If winter throws a bucketload of snow at you, then ski down it. Why not?!!

    Thanks for the post!

  4. That’s probably the last place on earth I would want to move to. A place that makes the rich and the most talented people run away. A matriarchy and a sponger’s paradise, great. The freer places, like Switzerland, Singapore and Hong Kong, are a lot more attractive to me. Then again I’m not a woman with children. But if I had children, I would want them to be responsible and not depend on the state.
    A socialist society can be made to look good but it usually fails in the long term, making its people poor.

    1. Uh, no.

      Are you saying that being provided a quality education and health care by the state makes you incapable of depending on yourself? Really? These are things that SHOULD be provided for you. They don’t make you leeches off of society. Maybe if everyone was unemployed, sure, but that’s not the case in Sweden.

      PS: Sweden has been around for longer than America and even with its “socialist” system is doing better than America is right now. What does that tell you?

  5. it s a bullshit country !!! nothing special , cold people and cold country ,,
    to get all the best 10 things you have to run like a crazy
    at the end if you don t speak the language it will be a nightmare ,,
    most of the swedes are racist in nature even if they don t show it to you because not more that they will pay a fine for it
    no jobs , most of the young people are jobless its the one of the first rate in europe almost 20 %.
    15000 living in copenhagen
    35000 living in oslo
    so the wedges suck , in some places like restaurants they pay only 25 kroner per hour
    if you don t speak swedish , don t ever think about coming to sweden
    it will take more than a year to learn , the language schools suck a lot
    at the end sweden work a lot about its image , in reality its not how it looks ,
    thanks guys

    1. What the hell are you talking about? I’ve lived in sweden for about 5 years and I suspect you either never been to Sweden or mixed it up with someplace else.

    2. If you put the effort in im sure you would get something out of it. i live in England with a Swedish girlfriend, I planning on moving to sweden and i have been very slowly picking up the language just from her talking to friends so it really wouldnt take long to learn the basics after that it will come naturally like any language. and about the ammount of pay you get….. life sucks and get over it you gotta fight for the jobs prove to be the best.

    3. Oslo is in Norway and Copenhagen is in Denmark. If your going to provide statistics from a country, at least give statistics from the RIGHT country

  6. A very good post and I totally agree with it. One thing to add is that there are a lot of free playgrounds and children events that also make Swedish society more childfriendly.

  7. i live in canada. how did you move to Sweden? like how do you become chidizen. please someone respond (sorry for my bad, i’m from Quebec)

  8. I’d love to move to Sweden! I’ve always dreamed about it since I was a child. My family is of Swedish heritage and I’ve always wanted to live there.

    Is it hard to get a job if you’re a foreigner? How about a visa?

  9. Sweden sounds nice… but I can tell you as a Canadian we enjoy most of the same benefits without the insane taxes, Income tax in Canada is anywhere from 0% for those lowest on the income scale to 25-27% for those highest, Canada totes many of the same social benefits such as 1 year maternity leave at 80% salary and 4 weeks vacation to start in most sectors, competitive salaries, subsidized daycare and absolutely free healthcare except for medication which is subsidized at 80% or even 100% if your company offers its own plan (which most do). The weather is similar, cold winters and very nice summers, and you get the added bonus of always being about 100miles from the US border. University is not free, but the cost of 4 years higher education comes out to about 6,000$ a year for which there are generous student loans and bursary programs. I am not saying that Canada is in any way better than Sweden, but for a US citizen leaving family an ocean away is often hard. Moving to Canada is really not much different than moving to Vermont or up-state New York. Why choose a complete culture shock when you could have the best of both worlds and the added bonus of not having to learn another language, unless you move to Quebec, which might be worth the adventure. That is just my spiel for the day.

    1. I live in Canada as well and I have never had a job that provided me with 4 weeks of vacation. I would say that the majority of Canadians have 2 weeks. My student loan is over $22,000 for TWO YEARS of education (and a student loan as you might understand needs to be paid back, so the idea that it’s an amazing and wonderful thing is preposterous). I think either you’re very lucky and privileged or you have no idea what you’re talking about.

  10. I believe the government even regulates pet ownership; pets need to be checked on at least twice a day and should be within view of a window allowing sunlight, and dogs kept outside should have access to both sunny and shaded areas, as well as protection against the wind and rain. I know people in the U.S. that leave their dogs trapped in a kennel all day long ( we’re talking 8+ hrs.) in Sweden that would be considered criminal.

    1. That is good and people that own pets should be required to take proper care of them or they should not own any

  11. I’m American living in U.S, always have. We get taxed for everything. We pay for senior health care we will never get. We pay for healthcare for the poor and we have to pay tons of costs for healthcare even if we have health insurance. The health insurance is a joke. You have to spend hours, sometimes days, proving why your medical bills should be covered by your health insurance. Childcare costs are over $120 per week! Try to work minimum wage for less than $8 an hour and pay childcare. University costs average $30,000 per year. Takes a lifetime to pay back. And if you don’t get a job after you graduate, how do you payback? There is no such thing as maternity leave. Politicians are trying to take women’s rights away for birth control and abortions. Yet men get viagra coveted on insurance. It’s a joke and its pathetic.

  12. Sounds good to me. My wife and I are looking for a place to retire. We are in our 40’s and have a 2 year old son. We are looking to move in a couple of years. We want the best for our son, but are curious what the tax situation would be for us living off of money coming from my US business.

  13. How diverse is Sweden? I would assume that African Americans would be a minority but I would love to hear from someone that lives there. I have a friend that works for IKEA in the USA and has thrown around the idea of moving to Sweden for a year for a new experience. Please advise?

    1. There are no “African Americans” in Sweden unless they happen to be visiting from America. You mean black Swedes.

  14. This is another article where white people–particularly liberals– in the US express a desire to go back from where they originated. It really is an interesting phenomenon.What is ironic is that Sweden is one of the most homogenous societies on the planet. There is little diversity in Sweden. That is kinda funny considering how much diversity is part of the liberal message in the US.Then there is the issue of defense. European countries could afford to spend so much on socialist policies because we for so long have acted as a guarantor of their sovereignty. (This, of course, is no longer necessary, so why are we still doing it?) One must also consider that Sweden has very little global responsibilities vis a vis the US, is smaller in population than Michigan, and they have a tradition of being dependent of government. What works in Sweden won’t necessarily work here just as what works in the US won’t necessarily work in Iraq or Afghanistan. I also find this post just a tad bit simplistic. The reality of Sweden is surely more complex than what is portrayed in the article.

    1. SHHHHHHHHH!! You can’t let the sheeple know the results!! Rule number 1 of living in a government ran society. KEEP YOU’RE FRIGGIN MOUTH SHUT!! Rule Number 2: Keep you’re friggin mouth sut!! Want to know what rule number 3 is?

      1. it is not at all communist nor is it socialist. it is a social democracy. there is a vast difference.

      2. There are 1000x times more mouths Shut in the US, In Sweden we acutally have shows that look into politicans work and make sure no monkey busniess is going on. How much do US citizens know whats happening, and how truly shut is the American peoples mouth? You fight for freedom when you lost the battle lobg time ago in your own Country. Think about it.

  15. I’m from UK. And I have family in New Jersey who will sponsor me to the US. We are rich, but I’m not necessarily looking for city job. I plan to move to ladiback with city life, so San Franchisco is US, is where I would go. What’s a place in Sweden for me personally? I’m in my twenties and want to take it easy. I also plan to raise a family in one of two cities. Disbuss things like safety, scenery, architecture, residents.

    Would San Franchisco be better place to live while Sweden is great place to visit?

  16. Wow just stumbled across this site and I am stunned at the Swedish people defending their system. This sounds like an economic system which removes all incentive to be ambitious to build a business. I can tell by the comments, the residents have been indoctrinated into thinking everything is free and they are happy. Very sad.

    There is nothing wrong with wanting to settle for the bell curve life, but it is equally ok to want more out of life. Maybe a second or third home at the beach. Maybe a small private airplane to take you where you want when you want. For the comments, I sense a disdain for the wealthy, as if they do not appreciate the non financial aspects of life.

    Sad.

    You have lost sense of what is relative. Decent health care costs 7-12 k usd per employee for me. You govt has you convinced it costs more than that.

    As an entrepreneur in the us, I love the challenge and the game of success. I love to create jobs and find and train the best people. I would have left Sweden long ago for a more challenging country.

    1. I personally would not feel right having a second home or a private plane before everyone else has a reasonable standard of living. No families sleeping under flyovers as you get in some of the wealthiest countries. I don’t understand wanting to get rich just for your own benefit. But living in a country with a good welfare system in no way prevents anyone from being a challenged and successful entrepreneur!

      1. hi, I am from Ireland and have in the last 4 years lived in Australia, Malaysia, Germany and currently in Hong Kong…To be honest HK is my favourite out of all of them, its effecient, friendly, safe and the weather is good generally. I earn a decent salary, after tax and rent is paid I’m left with 4500 euros..I really can’t understand how people obsess so much over money, although I honestly didn’t like living in germany, too dull and boring, and they have poor english generally. Germany is a socialist society pretty much but I must say living a cold winter or 2 there, half broke financially, is depressing…saying that I would one day I would love to give sweden a try, just gotta get some savings behind me first 🙂

    2. Your comment makes me sad, as it shows how disconnected you are from the majority of regular North American citizens. And what is wrong with Sweden defending their awesome country? You’ll never meet an American who doesn’t go on and on about how amazing America is. From what you said you must be the 1%. Congratulations.

  17. Is everything perfect in Sweden? No Its not, but some of the commentaries here is pathetic. The way a country takes care of their poor and sick is what makes it good or bad (in my opinion). If you would measure all countries like that Sweden would be considered The best. No doubt about it. Welfare for all, in Sweden, means welfare provided for the homeless person, the illegal immigrant as well as the for the poorest families. If you’re sick or injured, just go to whatever hospital you like (our health system is one of the best in the world) and they will take care of you even if you don’t have a dollar to your name. Name another country where that is possible… We as people are not rascist, around 20-25% of the people living in Sweden are of no Swedish descent and we welcome more fugitives/immigrants per capita than the USA. However being a small country population wise it starts to become expensive caring for everyone that wants/needs to come here. The unemployment rate is 8,6 % (roughly the same as in the US) and as in other countries the minorities are having a somewhat harder time finding work. The minimum wage is not 25 kronor. Its double that sum but remember that the minimum wage is almost all the time applied to young people with no education. If you are under 18 and have a job you pay lower tax and sometimes no tax at all. Everyone here spreaks english and so far i havent met any unemployed americans here. But of course you should learn Swedish if you live here!

      1. Since when has America ever been known for universal healthcare ever? Even your current Obamacare doesn’t come close to it. Your un-employment is the same rate as Sweden and your welfare started during the great depression so I’m assuming your pride is taking up your brain.

  18. Yes, you are correct. Sweden is one of the best country in EU. When we foreigners in Sweden we think, Sweden is highly TAX paying country, Yes it’s true, But you will get back after 60’s. No need to pay for special insurance or pensions. All are included in 32% Tax.

    I think now, it’s little bit difficult for English speaking people to get jobs in Sweden…

  19. this Jason guy is so wrong on so many levels,
    haha how hilarious too this comment
    if you don t speak swedish , don t ever think about coming to sweden
    it will take more than a year to learn , the language schools suck a lot

    what a crap statement , so hilarious , hihihihihihi

    well i not speak much swedish as of yet but it’s hardly gonna be learnt in 5 minutes and besides mostly wherever you go they speak english so whats the big deal

    you can’t bake a cake without the flour so just get to learn the basics
    i think it’s nice in sweden, great place, maybe i live there someday 🙂

  20. I lived almost 10 years in Sweden. Americans, if you married or even in sambo with Swedish, remember my words, don’t have kids there. If something happen and you will divorce, you will NEVER SEE YOUR KIDS AGAIN! This a first reason not move to Sweden, second one, peole nice, but you can’t talk to them more then about the weather! So I go on and on. And weather, my god, you getting depress during fall, winter, summer are so short. Yes, only way to travel in Spain or Italy like all Swedish and working only to save money for next travel to see SUN again. Guys, stay where are your family and friends are. In cold Sweden you always stranger and immigrant. Nothing it’s perfect.

  21. Can Sweden accept me? I’m poor guy from Brazil, no formal education at all (not graduated) but I’m good with computers, PC, Macs, Linux etc.. I just want an opportunity to live with hope and believing in a future. White, Portuguese/Italian ancestry and conscient at gender equality and human rights.

    Please contact me at mail if you can give an opportunity

  22. Hi

    I’m from the uk where the economical situation is tenous. I have cancer and may need more hospital treatment. The system is collapsing here. Would I get chemotherapy in Sweden and would they help with my living costs?

  23. What a bunch of garbage! We in Sweden are taxed on everything. Our healthcare costs a LOT in taxes, whether we use it or not, and then we still have to pay for each doctor’s visit. For a general practitioner, that’s around 25 US dollars per visit – to a doctor who has only 5 years of post-high school education. Eek! No wonder Americans here are afraid to get sick!

    The article was written by someone who doesn’t know our system very well at all. For example, atop their supposed “only 30%” taxes comes the taxes that don’t show up on your income slip. About half your paycheck is gone before you see it.

    When California’s sales tax climbed to over 8%, people screamed – and rightly so. But here in Sweden, we pay 25%.

    Sweden is slowly but surely pulling to the right, both economically and politically. Legalized theft makes for very lazy workers. It’s a fun time for a short time, and then the country either falls apart or does as Sweden is doing, and privatizes and becomes economically conservative.

    Do what’s best for your country in the long run, not what you think is best for you right now. Don’t be greedy leftists; your greed for other people’s money only leads to your country’s ruin.

    1. It’s you rightists who are the greedy ones! Don’t you see what you are writing! It’s you who are complaining about paying taxes for others so they can have a good healthcare! Then you got the nerve to complain about that Sweden privatizes businesses, then it’s the rightists that are doing it with our current government! It’s not because we have to, or that it is in anyway something that is good for our country, they are doing it just because they think it’s the right thing to do! The greedy people will always be the rightists, who accuses those who are the poorest for doing nothing, while they themselves are doing very little efforts and pulls in money with exorbitant salaries – don’t forget that!

      1. Right and left has little meaning. It is a matter of fair wealth and Employment distribution. The US is broke in wealth distribution. The rich control everything in the US.

  24. am in high school here in down in africa but i would like ond day to live in sweden but here we do study english pliz i would to kn which form in high school will i start from…?

    1. Hi Fred,
      It is hard to say which grade in high school you would start. Here they have high school…they call in gymnasium…from 15 or 16 years old to 19 years old. Where do you live?

  25. DONT GO TO SWEDEN COLD DARK UGLY PPL AND SO BORRRING WATSE OF TIME THEY ARE ALL CAVE MEN AND BELONG TO THE CAVES NO CULTURE NO NICE PPL NO GOOD FOOD OVER ALL ONE OF THE UGLIEST PLACES I BEEN TOO. TRY THAILAND, DUBAI, SPAIN WHY SWEDEN? EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

  26. Hi everyone i read lot of things about is good or bad sweden but nobody take off my mine to know and work there .I´m from mexico city ,if somebody can help me to move appreciate really to much . I´m designer and moldmaker tanks a lot

  27. Okay then answer me this if you can or dare.

    So Sweden has free health care right? At what cost? Do you get to choose who you want to see meaning if you don’t like Joe’s practices can you choose Bob?

    Here in America if it were free the government would use the lowest bidder and you’d get very crappy service but hey who cares if it’s crappy as long as it’s free right? Everybody is equal. Equal and poor!!

    Since this site reeks of Liberal bias I’ll likely get pounded on by the angry wolves just for even questioning *free* health care assuming my comment even makes it past the moderation queue.

    Just for you here is a video about things being *free* Make Mine Freedom 1948 which a lot of those predictions have already come true because of the *freedom pills* people took. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-Fg7GE9U-w

    I don’t expect you to allow this video to show because it provides criticism to the government but I hope YOU at least watch it.

    1. Hi Mr. Data,

      Thanks for you comments. Healthcare is great here. Yes you do get to choose healthcare providers…it’s called vÃ¥rdval…you can look it up. Sweden is fifth in the world in the child mortality rate, the US is 44. Life expectancy, Sweden ranked 4th, the US ranked 33rd. And as far as your argument about free healthcare in the US leading to crappy service, the last time I checked, the healthcare deals congress gets looked pretty good!

      1. _the last time I checked, the healthcare deals congress gets looked pretty good!_

        Ha Ha. It’s a 2 class society here with plenty of propaganda. Middle class nearly outsourced.

      2. I’ve been responding to ridiculous comments on this page for a little while now and want to let you know how impressed I am by your factual response. You have a lot more tact than I do. Well done.

    2. “Mr Data”

      FYI, I’m an American, never been to Sweden except the airport. When my stepdad had to take an ambulance ride here in California they didn’t take him to the nearest appropriate hospital. They sent him an hours drive to an “in network” hospital. There might have been dozens of hospitals on the way. But what mattered under the US system, unless you had the right insurance for the hospital nearest you in an emergency, you’d better be on death’s door or they won’t treat you.

    3. Your ignorance is simply astonishing. Why don’t you do some research about countries that offer universal healthcare so you can have a better idea before you spew ignorance.

  28. I got an idea!! We should have the government pay for workers wages then everyone can get payed while sitting at home doing nothing then the numbers can be *fudged* to look like employment is high to attract more people!!

  29. as it is free in sweden actually they don’t give you the full services. this an statement from my doctor. he said as it is cheap for healthcare the doctors and hospital services are sucks. they dont provide you with the best and if you sometime worried about your health they say it is just normal, you don’t need extra treatment.
    My friend is a nurse where they take care about the people with so called advance cancer. they just give up very fast, and let you die by just giving you too much painkiller and morphin. and they are surprised if the family of the patient cry or be sad. most of the time they dont have any feelings for each other and they are just too cold.

    1. Sweden is great. Nothing is free, it’s all just pread out in high taxes.
      Kindergardens, schools, universities, healthcare and so on. Those are just a handfull of all the “free” things in Sweden. It’s not perfect, not at all. There will allways be things to improve, but at the same time there’s nothing to complain about.

  30. Well, read most comments here. As I ve traveled and have family in Canada and lived abroad and am a swede..I ve learned that there are good and bad things, things you desire more and things you desire less, Things you prefer more and things you prefer less etc etc…All countries has its Beauty and charm. But there are basic standards as all countries should have and as you ve mentioned here. How can a woman be equal to a man if she has to stay at home taking care of Children and maybe even other family members? How is a country suppoused to pay/afford the school system, a fare one where all have the rights to study rich or poor? What surprise me though is when people asylum coming here just to complain when they too can study and get a good education as all have this right. Why not at least be so smart using what my country offers…One chines woman once said..I came to sweden with nothing, no education, not even secondary high school, didn t know the language, felt too old to start…But then thought..Im stupid and started from the ground, made it through school and then continued to the University and became a doctor at the age of 50…I could afford to leave my Children in care…I had food, an apartment and all I needed. Could I have had the same in US? And by the way, in Norway you pay very very high for renting apartments and all! I Think also Denmark pays more taxes then Sweden! I can get very angry when the socila welfar in my country helps drug addicted people, asyl people etc and not a woman with 3 Children working day and nights who borrowed an apartment 22m2 big and trying to get help from them to have a bigger apartment. And this happens too often. In UK its so bad that when people coming to visit their relatives in some hospitals they help to feed other patients cause the staff have no time!!!! And when you get old! Same rights for all to have a good care and most care homes as I know working ín this field keeps a high standard compared to many other countries in the World! I Think 8 % have no work in Sweden now, not sure! I use to say, If I come to Another country I don t say I have the right to…I Think also, what can I do myself. I dont start thinking how to benefit the system! Canada reminds a lot in lots about Sweden according to my relatives and they have lots of respect and like Sweden, at least in that part of Canada LOL! Maybe its ice hockey haha! I ve been to Montreal and Quebec and LOVE IT! It would be easy for me to adapt there and Heard other swedes saying the same! Many taxes irritates me too. But I Think also that Sweden survived many crises compared to other European countries and as said that our government and news are maybe the less corrupted in the World. Many swedes Think I go to Norway working as a nurse as I get more there, but luve on the border and go home to the Swedish side after work as its very expencive to live in Norway. And to gain and win Money..well…figure it out yourself! as a Doc in UK told me too…It would be nice to have holiday this year and if I complain and say I leave they say go ahead, we employ a cheaper doctor from Polen instead! Here all have 5 weeks holiday and more by age. Im over 50 so i have at least 27 Days and some have 30-33 Days. We take 3-5 weeks during summer and the rest later. or some take just 2 weeks in spring, 2 weeks high season summer and save the rest. You have the right to save 5 Days per year here up to 30 Days+the new Days! Docs here have less patients per year then most countries. In for ex Canada many have to take all 4 weeks when the boss says so, Like if you work in a care home you have to take your holiday all 4 weeks in summer etc…So you see, there are so many things you don t know. I don t know all yet and Im Swedish and born here hahaha!

  31. Dear All,

    Most of the people on this forum are currently living in Sweden or have lived there for many years before moving.
    I have a question and i am hoping many of you can answer.
    I am swedish national but i moved to another country at very early age and got my education there.
    Now i plan to move back to sweden, i want to inquire if in any way the government will assist me in my move back to sweden?
    like some kind of stipend for the time i am unable to find a job after returning to sweden, any kind of living assistance (home), any benifits for my child (also swedish passport holder)

  32. for atheists it is the irreligion rate that drives us to Sweden Czeck rep. And estonia the 3 least religious countries EVER!

  33. Honestly I am planning to move to Sweden rather than stay i a US state where I HAVE BASICALLY NOTHING!

  34. Hi everyone!

    Sweden is a more then decent place to live.
    Imigrants often (always) get more support then they need, including healthcare, SFI (swedish for imigrants classes) and a decent sum of money every month.
    Daycare and Healthcare is perfect in the larger cities and suburbs but may be lacking out in the “wild” country. We have something called jämnställdhet whitch puts equallity on men and women. One of the most amazing things in Sweden, witch not many forigners knows about is the allemansrätten – (all mens right) it means, if you are out in the woods you can pick berries, mushrooms, camp practically everywhere (if you clean up afterwards) and fish in most of the waters.

    Anywho, yes, i am from sweden, no, you dont have to learn the language to visit, or even to live here. But if you learn the language, we like you even more.

    Sweden is a MASSIVE cultural country, with imigrants from all over the world.

    I have lived in two other countries and visit about 20 more. I like to travel, but i always like to come home to sweden.

    (BTW the air is so amazing here)

    Take care!

  35. Hello to all,

    I am thinking more and more about relocating to Sweden…I am currently living in Germany,speak german of course,but I would prefer to live and grow old in an english speaking country ,and watch TV with subtitles and not dubbing(it annoys me terrible),a more open-minded country.I am specialized in cake and cupcakes decorations (sugar flowers,leaves,figurines).I intend to open my small business in this area.Please give me an insight,would such a small business help me have a decent living?How difficult it is to start as a self-employed?Is there a lot of bureaucracy?Can I get the necessary documents and bills in English?
    Any help and reply are highly appreciated.All the best to everyone and a great weekend!

    hugs

    1. Hi Julia,

      I’ve come across the comment you left three months ago about starting your business in Sweden.
      As I am myself toying with the idea of relocating either to Germany or Sweden, I’d like to ask you: which country are you originally from and what negatives do you find in living in Germany that make you want to move to Sweden?

      Thank you very much for any insight, it will be much appreciated!

      Best regards,

  36. As an American, I apologize for the rudeness of some American commentators in this discussion. Our corruption is unbelievable. We have been at “war” since I was a teenager, helpless to the military industrial complex sucking $300 billion a year of taxpayer money for their private contractors and weapons manufacturers. I would rather be taxed for the prosperity of myself and of my friends and family than be taxed for the prosperity of a machine or a for-profit prison. And don’t listen to the “support our troops” Americans as they stay silent to the fact that more Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have come home to commit suicide, than any other Veteran group. I also witnessed 36 US soldiers return their medals after an anti NATO march. Each solider had their own story, each sure they had been mislead by the very men who claim to honor them.
    My generation of Americans (I was born 1986) are baffled as to how the greed of few have dragged us so far down. Many homes in my town were promised to be torn down by FEMA after Hurricane Sandy (google Union Beach, NJ) destroyed over 300 of our 500 houses, but they mostly helped rebuild the businesses and left town. Living in Sweden may not be perfect, but be proud to stand for something other than a dollar bill! Be proud that you can offer families a real chance to enjoy life, something more than reality shows. Your country (Scandinavia in general) has always fascinated me. Kudos on your recycling solutions; truly admirable considering the best part of my 6th grade class trip was seeing the Staten Island dumps!
    I met a Swede who was traveling the US and after comparing notes we agreed that while Sweden has a lot more common decency and respect for life the US has more adventure…more grit. He said Swedes are too reserved, I said Americans are too raunchy. We both agree Sweden makes the NHL great. All in all I think Sweden has more to be proud of than the states. Don’t let the haters hate, Sweden- go on with your sexy, clean selves.
    Oh and that dude’s comment about “matriachy” was distasteful so in true American custom I’ll be distasteful back: I hope he catches a mean STD the next time he’s in Vegas =p

    1. Ha, I left out the best part: he visited during the government shut down in October. Need I say more?

  37. Best things living here:

    1) The girls-best looking ones in the world

    2) See nr 1

    3) No wars,no earthquakes,no famine.No real poor ppl,some say that we have them,but they are rich compared to the ones in other countries.

    4) Free healtcare.Things that would cost a fortune in the states (like attaching severed limbs) are free

    6) LOW tax on stock trading.I actually pay 0,5 % on my profit even if i make 100 million a year.Wohooooo !!! Cant believe this is true,but it is …

    7) Clean water-you can actually drink the water that flows around Stockholm.Try to do that in NY och any other big city around the world…

    Negatives:

    Cold winter,high taxes on some stuff and a few crazy left and right ppl.

  38. Sweden is awful when it comes to taxes. 50% out of your paycheck is gone right away. Food prices are ridiculous.Rents are relatively cheap compared to San Franciso or NYC, but, immigrants or any foreigners cant live in these nice and affordable neighbourhoods. Swedes are not racist. Its true, they dont like foreigners much but they dont go out of their way to torture them. They like to put down minorities. I guess its some kind of sadistic power trip. Health care is GREAT! However the doctors have very little experience. While i was there for three years residents at hospital were bugging me about “how to move to America”. Alot of mistakes are made at hospitals by the staff. Some with unfortunate outcome and it covered up. I remember one occasion when nurse, by mistake, preped this lady for hip replacement and the patient had to have gall bladder stones removed. Go there and spend some time there. You might like it.

  39. I’m a Swede, but I’ve been travelling extensively abroad (including the US for about a year and a half) and the older I get the more I appreciate living here.

    It’s safe – I like the fact that everybody has the chance to study, if they want to (we get paid 2500 sek/400 dollars and get additional loans up to around 10 000 SEK/1500 dollars per month up to six years, and the universities are free of charge). Even if you didn’t manage well in high school, there are always possibilities to make up for it later, if you want to. I like the fact that no children (nor adults, for that matter) need to go hungry, be sick without medical attention, miss school because their parents might not afford it.

    All together, this means that you have power over your own life. For example, we have much more “movement” between classes than in the states. I’m in medical school, and we have people from all different backgrounds in my year.

    About the commentary above about mistakes in the hospital I can only say that in most studies, Swedish patients fare way better than those in most other countries in i. e. cancer survival. And we have amongst the highest survival rates in the world. And my guess why the residents asked about moving to the states is because most of our movies are from the US and they tend to show off the better bits – the grass is always greener on the other side… (I’m soon to be a doctor myself)

    Regarding the comment on matriarchy that’s just ridicoulous and very sexist. We pride ourselves with a very forward thinking regarding equality, but still there are problems to be addressed – and calling it a matriarchy is 1. wrong, because there are still slightly more men in government than women (although there’s not a big difference) and 2,very weird saying like it’d be a bad thing (as if a patriarchy would be good)? Of course equality is the best, but the few matriarch societies that have existed have generally had a very high living standard. “Unfortunately”, those societies have generally considered war a bad thing, leaving them a disadvantage in war… And why would it be fair to fathers to not be able to take parental leave as well as mothers? Or mothers to have to take out all the parental leave, leaving them behind in their career (although, it should be said that Swedish employers generally are very welcoming towards all sorts of parental leave).

    There are some problems with integration, but they are NOTHING compared to most countries – it’s just that they are so much bigger than before that makes them look big.

  40. I like Sweden on many levels but some stuffs I just can’t wrap my head around.
    1. I never see Swedish transportation as the best in the world. I mean the country snows every year but they still have train delay or subway delay all the time. there are like 4 subway lines in stockholm, for a capital it’s just un acceptable. and that cause so many swedes going everywhere by cars, how is that good for environment? not even mention u pay 100 dollar a month even as student ticket.
    2. media. I think most of the swedes I know think that Swedish media is taking too strong political stands. in face aftonbladet is considered to be racist not long ago.
    3. fashion. not saying Swedish fashion is bad. but it does lack of variety. u will find everybody in the same black and white clothes all year round.
    4. rental apartment. just saying, it’s bad ppl. take my word. as bad as u can think of. and I doubt anybody in big cities will ever make arguement. u can’t find a place to rent! even u willing to pay u still can’t rent one! u think with all the tax we pay we can have a roof over our head, but no. unless u take a loan when u at ur 20s and already own money when u just start ur life.
    5. and I agree with some comments above Sweden is good for the weak ppl. they take care of handicapped ppl so well half of their family can make a living out of it.

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