Immigration to Sweden
Immigration to Sweden is the process by which people migrate to Sweden to reside in the country. Many, but not all, become Swedish citizens. People have been migrating to the geographic region of Sweden for hundreds of years, with rates of immigration and source countries varying throughout time.
Immigration has been a major source of population growth and cultural change throughout much of the history of Sweden. The economic, social, and political aspects of immigration have caused controversy regarding ethnicity, economic benefits, jobs for non-immigrants, settlement patterns, impact on upward social mobility, crime, and voting behavior. As the Swedish government doesn't base any statistics on ethnicity, there are no exact numbers on the total number of people of immigrant background in Sweden.[1]
As of 2010 however, 1.33 million people or 14.3% of the inhabitants in Sweden were foreign-born. Of these, 859,000 (9.2%) were born outside the European Union and 477,000 (5.1%) were born in another EU member state.[2] Sweden has been transformed from a nation of emigration ending after World War I to a nation of immigration from World War II onwards. In 2009, immigration reached its highest level since records began with 102,280 people migrating to Sweden while the total population grew by 84335.[1]
In 2010, 32,000 people applied for asylum to Sweden, a 25% increase from 2009, however the number of people who received asylum did not increase because the large increase was much due to the allowing of Serbian nationals to travel without a visa to Sweden.[3] In 2009, Sweden had the fourth largest number of asylum applications in the EU and the largest number per capita after Cyprus and Malta.[4] Immigrants in Sweden are mostly concentrated in the urban areas of Svealand and Götaland and the five largest foreign born populations in Sweden come from Finland, Yugoslavia, Iraq and Iran.[1]
History
- World War II
Immigration increased markedly with World War II. Historically, the most numerous of foreign born nationalities are ethnic Germans from Germany and other Scandinavians from Denmark and Norway. {{citation}}: Empty citation (help) In short order, 70,000 war children were evacuated from Finland, of which 15,000 remained in Sweden. Also, many of Denmark's nearly 7,000 Jews who were evacuated to Sweden decided to remain there. {{citation}}: Empty citation (help)
A sizable community from the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) arrived during the Second World War.[5]
- 1945 to 1967
During the 1950s and 1960s, the recruitment of immigrant labor was an important factor of immigration. The Nordic countries signed a trade agreement in 1952, establishing a common labour market and free movement across borders. This migration within the Nordic countries, especially from Finland to Scandinavia, was essential to create the tax-base required for the expansion of the strong public sector now characteristic of Scandinavia. This continued until 1967, when the labour market became saturated, and Sweden introduced new immigration controls.
On a smaller scale, Sweden took in political refugees from Hungary and the former Czechoslovakia after their countries were invaded by the Soviet Union in 1956 and 1968 respectively. Some tens of thousands of American draft dodgers from the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 1970s also found refuge in Sweden.
Contemporary immigration
Since the early 1970s, immigration to Sweden has been mostly due to refugee migration and family reunification from countries in the Middle East and Latin America.[6]
In 2009, immigration reached its highest level since records began with 102,280 people migrating to Sweden while the total population grew by 84335.[1] In 2010, 32000 people applied for asylum to Sweden, a 25% increase from 2009, one of the highest amount in Swedish since 1992 and the Balkan wars.[3] However the number if people that were granted asylum stayed the same as previous years. In 2009, Sweden had the fourth largest number of asylum applications in the EU and the largest number per capita after Cyprus and Malta.[4]
During 2010 the most common reason for immigrating to Sweden was:
- Labour migrants (21 %)
- Family reunification (20 %)
- Immigrating under the EU/EES rules of free movement (18 %)
- Students (14%)
- Refugees (12 %) [7]
Demographics
Population
As the Swedish government does not base any statistics on ethnicity, there are no exact numbers on the total number of people of immigrant background in Sweden.
According to Eurostat, in 2010, there were 1.33 million foreign-born residents in Sweden, corresponding to 14.3% of the total population. Of these, 859 000 (9.2%) were born outside the EU and 477 000 (5.1%) were born in another EU Member State.[1][2]
Country of origin
The main countries of origin are:
Finland (172,218)
Former Yugoslavia (152,268)
Iraq (117,919)
Iran (59,922)
Poland (49,518)
Germany (47,803)
Denmark (46,002)
Norway (43,819)
Turkey (40,766)
Somalia (31,734)
Ethnicity
Assyrians/Syriacs in Sweden
Assyrians in Sweden numbered around 120,000 people as of 2009, or 1.3% of the total population of Sweden. Their size doubled in the period of 2002 to 2009.[8] Sweden has a particularly large Assyrians/Syriacs community that grew substantially during the Iraq war. The Swedish city of Södertälje has alone taken in more Iraqi refugees than the United States and Canada combined.[9]
Södertälje has the largest group of Assyrians/Syriacs of any city in Europe, with more than 30,000 Assyrian/Syriacs living in Södertälje (amounting to 50% of the population), and around 50,000 Assyrians/Syriacs living in Stockholm County. Södertalje is often nicknamed "little Baghdad" or "Mesopotälje" owing to the number of Iraqi-based inhabitants in the city.[10]
Arabs in Sweden
Bosnians in Sweden
As of 31 December 2009 there are 56,127[11] people born in Bosnia and Herzegovina living in Sweden. This figure doesn't include Yugoslavs of Bosnian and Herzegovinian origin who immigrated before 1992. Most of these immigrants came to Sweden during the Bosnian war in the 1990s.
Finns in Sweden
Sweden Finns (ruotsinsuomalaiset in Finnish, sverigefinnar in Swedish) are a Finnish speaking minority in Sweden. The Finnish-speaking Swedes are not to be confused with the Swedish speaking Finland-Swedes in Finland (and Sweden). In year 2008 there were over 675 000 people in Sweden who were either born in Finland or have at least one parent or grandparent who was born in Finland. [1].
Somalis in Sweden
There are around 32000 Somalis living in Sweden. The Somali community is one of the fastest growing groups in Sweden. Most of them have arrived as refugees and through family reunification in the 1990s and the 2000s (decade).
Kurds in Sweden
There are around 60000 Kurds living in Sweden. Most of them live in the capital Stockholm, Malmö or in Uppsala. A majority of Kurdish political refugees choose Sweden as their host country and therefore they have a cultural presence in Sweden.[12]
Romani in Sweden
Not to be confused with the Romanian people.
Romani in Sweden were formerly known as zigenare (gypsies) for Roma and tattare for Romani Travellers. More recently the romer has been adopted as a collective designation referring to both groups, with resande (Travellers) also referring to the latter only. Currently, there are approximately 50,000 Romani living in Sweden, many of them being Finnish Kale who immigrated in the 1960s. The latter, particularly women, often wear traditional dress in public.[13]
Romani in Sweden have periodically suffered at the hands of the state. For example, the state has subjected children to being forcibly taken into foster care, or even forcibly sterilised Romani women. Prejudice against Romanies is widespread, with most stereotypes portraying Romani as welfare cheats, shoplifters, and con artists. In the 1992, Bert Karlsson, one of the leaders of Ny Demokrati, declared that "Gypsies are responsible for 90% of crime against senior citizens" in Sweden.[14] Previously he had tried to ban the entry of Romani to his Skara Sommarland theme park, because he considered them responsible for theft. Some shopkeepers, employers and landlords continue to discriminate Romani.[15]
The situation is, however, improving for the Roma. There are several Romani organisations that promote Romani rights and culture in Sweden. Since 2000, Romani chib is an officially recognised minority language in Sweden. The Swedish government also has a special standing Delegation for Romani Issues. There is now even a Romani folk high school in Gothenburg.[16]
Turks in Sweden
There are around 20000 ethnic Turks living in Sweden. Most of them came as labour immigrants in the 1960s and 1970s. Most of them live in Stockholm and Malmö
Serbs in Sweden
There are around 80000 Serbs living in Sweden. The Swedish Serbs constituted a low percentage of the Swedish population prior to the 1960s. Some came after World War II, mostly seeking political asylum. The greatest proportion of Serbs came together with Greeks, Italians and Turks under the visa agreements in times of severe labour shortages or when particular skills were deficient within Sweden.[17] During the 1960s and 1970s, agreements were signed with the governments of Yugoslavia to help Sweden overcome its severe labour shortage.[18] Bosnian Serbs and Croatian Serbs migrated in another wave during and after the Yugoslav wars. Another wave of Kosovar Serbs came during the Kosovo war in 1999. The Serbian mafia are one of the most prominent organized crime syndicates in Sweden.
Albanians in Sweden
There are more than 50 000 ethnic Albanians in Sweden. They come from all Albanian dominated parts of the Balkans (see Great Albania).Many Albanians came from Kosovo in early 1990s because of the wars in the Balkans (se Yugoslav wars).
Religion
Christianity
Protestantism
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Catholicism
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Eastern Orthodoxy
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Oriental Orthodoxy
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Islam
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Sunni Islam
Shia Islam
Sufism
Judaism
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Hinduism
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Buddhism
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Effects of immigration
Demographic
Immigration has a significant effect on the demographics of Sweden. Since World War II, Sweden has like other developed nations evolved into a country with a low fertility rate. Due to the high birthrates in early post-war years and the steep decline in the late 20th century, Sweden has one of the oldest populations in the world. In 2009, 102280 immigrants entered Sweden while the total population grew by 84335.[1]
The high immigration rate, low fertility and high death rate is gradually transforming the previously homogeneous nation of Sweden into a multicultural country. The Sweden Democrats has criticised the countrys current immigration policies, claiming they can pose a major demographic threat to Sweden in the future. It is expected that the Muslim minority in Sweden will grow from 5 % to 10 % by 2030.[19]
Economic
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Social
Ethnic conflicts
Antisemitism
A government study in 2006 estimated that 39% of the Muslim population harbor strong and consistent antisemitic views.[20] In March 2010, Fredrik Sieradzk of the Jewish community of Malmö told Die Presse, an Austrian Internet publication, that Jews are being "harassed and physically attacked" by "people from the Middle East," although he added that only a small number of Malmo's 40,000 Muslims "exhibit hatred of Jews."[21]
Sieradzk also stated that approximately 30 Jewish families have emigrated from Malmo to Israel in the past year, specifically to escape from harassment estimating that the already small Jewish population is shrinking by 5% a year. “Malmo is a place to move away from, right now many Jews in Malmö are really concerned about the situation and don’t believe they have a future here” he said, citing anti-Semitism as the primary reason.[22] The Swedish newspaper Skånska Dagbladet reported that attacks on Jews in Malmo totaled 79 in 2009, about twice as many as the previous year, according to police statistics.[23]
Judith Popinski, and 86-year-old Holocaust survivor, told The Daily Telegraph that she is no longer invited to schools that have a large Muslim presence to tell her story of surviving the Holocaust. Popinski, who found refuge in Malmo in 1945, stated that, until recently, she told her story in Malmo schools as part of their Holocaust studies program, but that now, many schools no longer ask Holocaust survivors to tell their stories, because Muslim students treat them with such disrespect, either ignoring the speakers or walking out of the class. She further stated that "Malmo reminds me of the anti-Semitism I felt as a child in Poland before the war. “I am not safe as a Jew in Sweden anymore.”[24]
In December 2010, the Jewish human rights organization Simon Wiesenthal Center issued a travel advisory concerning Sweden, advising Jews to express "extreme caution" when visiting the southern parts of the country due to an increase in verbal and physical harassment of Jewish citizens in the city of Malmö.[25]
Segregation
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Crime
Immigrants are overrepresented in Sweden's crime statistics. In a study by the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention in 1997-2001, 25% of the almost 1,520,000 offences were found to be committed by people born abroad and another 25% were committed by Swedish born people of foreign background. In the study, immigrants were found to be four times more likely to be investigated for lethal violence and robbery than ethnic Swedes. In addition, immigrants were three times more likely to be investigated for violent assault, and five times more likely to be investigated for sex crimes.[26]
Language
Environment
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Education
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Political
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Health
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Politics
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Legal issues
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Media coverage
The conservative American TV channels Fox News and Christian Broadcasting Network have aired news reports portraying immigration to the Swedish city of Malmö.[27][28]
See also
- Outline of Sweden
- Swedish nationality law
- Refugee controversy in Sjöbo
- Södertälje
- Malmö
- Sweden Democrats
- Lars Vilks Muhammad drawings controversy
- Ageing of Europe
References
- ^ a b c d e f g http://www.scb.se/Pages/PublishingCalendarViewInfo____259923.aspx?PublObjId=11400
- ^ a b 6.5% of the EU population are foreigners and 9.4% are born abroad, Eurostat, Katya VASILEVA, 34/2011.
- ^ a b http://www.dn.se/nyheter/sverige/kraftig-okning-av-asylsokande
- ^ a b http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100504/local/malta-has-highest-per-capita-rate-of-asylum-applications
- ^ The Swedish Integration Board (2006). Pocket Facts: Statistics on Integration. Integrationsverket, 2006. ISBN 91-89609-30-1. Available online in pdf format. Retrieved 14 February 2007.
- ^ Sweden: Restrictive Immigration Policy and Multiculturalism, Migration Policy Institute, 2006.
- ^ http://www.migrationsverket.se/download/18.46b604a812cbcdd7dba80008288/Beviljade+uppeh%C3%A5llstillst%C3%A5nd+och+registrerade+uppeh%C3%A5llsr%C3%A4tter+2010.pdf
- ^ statistiska centrabyran
- ^ http://www.thelocal.se/11040/20080411/0
- ^ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25004140/ns/world_news-europe/
- ^ http://www.scb.se/statistik/_publikationer/BE0101_2009A01_BR_03_BE0110TAB.pdf
- ^ http://www.saradistribution.com/img/saradistr_press1.gif
- ^ Gyllenbäck, Mirelle (25 July 2007). "Därför klär jag mig inte som min mamma". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 6 December 2008.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|curly=ignored (help) - ^ Bjurwald, Lisa (1 July 2008). "Vår skuld until romerna". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 6 December 2008.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|curly=ignored (help) - ^ "Report faults Sweden for discrimination". The Local. 7 November 2008. Retrieved 6 December 2008.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|curly=ignored (help) - ^ "Victoria invigde romsk folkhögskola". Göteborgs-Posten (in Swedish). 21 September 2007. Retrieved 6 December 2008.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|curly=ignored (help) [dead link] - ^ Template:Sv icon Serbia Government Offices of Sweden.
- ^ Template:Sv icon "Historik" (History), Swedish Migration Board.
- ^ "A waxing crescent". The Economist. 27 January 2011.
- ^ http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/anglo-file/anti-semitism-in-sweden-depends-who-you-re-asking-1.232895
- ^ http://diepresse.com/home/politik/aussenpolitik/546769/Skandinaviens-Juden-fuehlen-sich-nicht-mehr-sicher
- ^ http://www.forward.com/articles/129233/
- ^ Report: Anti-Semitic attacks rising in Scandinavia, Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA), March 22, 2010.
- ^ Meo, Nick (21 February 2010). "Jews leave Swedish city after sharp rise in anti-Semitic hate crimes". The Daily Telegraph. London.
- ^ http://www.wiesenthal.com/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=lsKWLbPJLnF&b=4441467&ct=8971903
- ^ People with a foreign background behind 25% of Swedish crime
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaPz7p-1-bk
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fl6OluJnT7Y
