Stockholm tied for 10th place with Amsterdam among cities ranked for the strongest economic clout by PwC’s 2016 Cities of Opportunity Index. The Swedish capital scored well on economic clout benchmarks for financial and business services employment as well as productivity.
Stockholm finished second behind another Swedish city (Gothenburg) as the top destination for travelers looking for social experiences, according to the 2016 Social Cities Index commissioned by global hostel-booking platform Hostelworld.
Stockholm’s economic prowess is supported by the fact that 13 of Fortune Global 500 companies have their headquarters located in Sweden’ capital city. Those global firms include network equipment maker LM Ericsson and clothing retailer H & M Hennes & Mauritz.
Sweden was among the world’s 35 top exporters in 2016, shipping US$139.6 billion worth of goods around the globe. Highest-value Swedish exports are processed petroleum oils, automobiles, medicines, phone system devices including smartphones, automotive parts and accessories, sawn or chipped lumber, fish and paper according to the International Trade Centre.
Capital Facts for Stockholm, Sweden: Quick Reference
Geography
Capital landmarks: Stockholm City Hall, Drottningholm Palace, Old Town Square (Stortorget), Stockholm Cathedral, Parliament Building (Riksdagshuset) and the Vasa Museum
Famous People
Below, you will find 10 of the most famous people born in Stockholm, Sweden:
- Björn Borg, tennis champion (born Jun. 6, 1956)
- Benny Andersson, Abba songwriter & keyboard player (born Dec. 16, 1946)
- Princess Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden (born Jul. 14, 1977)
- Ingrid Bergman, actress (born Aug. 29, 1915)
- Greta Garbo, actress & pinup model (born Sep. 18, 1905)
- Lasse Hallström, director (born Jun. 2, 1946)
- Emma Wiklund, actress & fashion model (born Sep. 13, 1968)
- Antonia Vai, singer-songwriter (born Apr. 24, 1988)
- Allan Corduner, actor (born Apr. 2, 1950)
- Elin Nordegren, model & Tiger Woods’ former wife (born Jan. 1, 1980)
Note: Data for our Famous People tab was sourced from Google searches mostly targeting published Wikipedia articles specific to each person’s name.
Population
Demonym for a Stockholm resident: Stockholmer
Population: 932,917 (Stockholm city)
Density: 12,780 people per square mile (4,934 per square kilometer)
Population: 1,510,000 (Stockholm’s built-up urban area)
Density: 10,272 people per square mile (3,966 per square kilometer)
Population: 9,880,604 (Sweden)
Density: 62 people per square mile (24 per square kilometer)
Financial
GDP: US$49.7 billion as of October 2016 (for Sweden, per WorldsRichestCountries.com)
GDP per person: $49,678
Note: The above country-level GDP metrics are on a Purchasing Power Parity basis and are in U.S. dollars. Credible city GDP statistics for Stockholm were unavailable.
Official currency used in Stockholm: Swedish krona
Research
Research Sources:
Brookings Institution, Global Metro Monitor Report (includes GDP data). Accessed on December 10, 2016
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Europe: Sweden. Accessed on January 30, 2017
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Field Listing: Major Urban Areas. Accessed on December 10, 2016
CityMetric, Where are largest cities in the world? 2015 edition. Accessed on December 10, 2016
Demographia, World Urban Area, 12th Annual Edition. Accessed on December 10, 2016
Fortune, 2015 Global 500. Accessed on January 30, 2017
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on January 30, 2017
Official Government Website, Stockholms stad. Accessed on December 10, 2016
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), 2016 Cities of Opportunity Report. Accessed on January 30, 2017
The World Factbook, Field Listing: Major Urban Areas – Population, Central Intelligence Agency. Accessed on December 10, 2016
Wikimedia Commons, City Flags. Accessed on December 10, 2016
Note: Some city flags were unavailable. If so, attribution belongs to Wikimedia Commons for pertinent country flags.
Wikipedia, Stockholm. Accessed on December 10, 2016
Wikipedia, Sweden. Accessed on December 10, 2016
Stockholm city contains an area measuring 73 square miles (189 square kilometers), in which 932,917 people lived during 2015.
Stockholm city proper plus its built-up urban area covers a total 147 square miles (381 square kilometers), with approximately 1.5 million inhabitants.
At the country level, Sweden’s land territory covers 158,431 square miles (410,335 square kilometers). The national population count was 9.9 million inhabitants as of July 2016.
Swedes celebrate National Day as a public holiday each June 6.
Population density is higher within Sweden’s capital city limits, with an average 12,800 Stockholmers per square mile (4,900 per square kilometer).
Adding in Stockholm’s immediately surrounding urban area, density diminishes to an average 10,300 people per square mile (4,000 per square kilometer) for Stockholm’s greater metropolitan area.
For Sweden overall, national population density drops to an average 62 residents per square mile (24 per square kilometer).