Sweden
Sweden is a small nation in a big country - just over nine million inhabitants in an area larger than California and nearly as large as France or Spain. Sweden is also a young civilization in an old country. In past centuries, the country was mainly known for its constant wars. In the 17th century, Sweden was a Great Power in Europe, with a territory that extended almost all the way around the Baltic Sea.
Since 1814, however, Sweden has lived in peace, which has been the most important prerequisite for the build-up of the modern Swedish welfare state. During the 20th century, Sweden evolved quickly from a poor agrarian country to one of the world's strongest industrial nations. The point of departure for this "Swedish industrial miracle" was the country's natural wealth of forests and ore, as well as a long series of ingenious inventions and an entrepreneurial tradition.
High Standard of Living
In Sweden the fruits of this economic success have been distributed more evenly among the population than in perhaps any other country. Sweden has become known worldwide for its high general standard of living, with publicly financed systems of economic security for all people in all phases of life.
The transformation Sweden has undergone during the past century has been extremely radical. Sweden today is a modern, sophisticated, internationalized society which is very much part of a globalized world. The simple origins of the Swedes are clearly apparent, however, in our proud but low-key disposition, close contact with our cultural heritage, popular customs and traditions and, not least, intensive love of our magnificent, challenging but lavishly rich Nordic nature.
Accessible Education
The principle of access to free (tax-financed) education for the whole population, throughout life, is among the pillars of the Swedish welfare state. Education begins in day care centers and preschools, which an overwhelming majority of all Swedish children attend, then continues with the nine-year compulsory school and the voluntary upper secondary school, to which practically all Swedish youngsters continue nowadays.
Graduate Education
In a highly developed industrial nation like Sweden, research plays a key role as an investment in the future.
More remarkable in an international perspective is that university and college education in Sweden is also heavily tax-financed and thus more or less free, as well as supported by a generous system of study loans and grants that makes higher education accessible to people from all social classes. During the past decade, large investments have been made in higher education and the number of students has risen by 50 percent.
Also characteristic of the Swedish educational ethos are extensive publicly subsidized systems of further education, retraining, adult schools and study circles. In addition, the private business sector offers a well-developed system of further education and self-improvement.
Sweden has a long history of ambitious research and development programs, both in the private business sector and the public sector - and often including collaboration between the two. Sweden tops European comparative statistics both in terms of research investments as a percentage of GDP and in the number of published scientific works per capita.
Source: www.sweden.se
