Fun facts about Sweden
Posted under: Sweden has the longest life expectancy in Europe, 80.5 years (I hope I will get to live that long or even longer =)
Swedish women have their first child in average at 30 years old , the oldest in Europe along with the Netherlands and Ireland. (I can relate to that one – had mine at 34!)
Sweden has the highest percentage of working mothers in the developed world, 76% of all mothers go back to work. (At least they get one heck of a maternity leave as opposed to my 6 weeks).
40% of the Swedish women and 32% of the Swedish men aged between 25-64 participate in education or training. The EU average is 10% for women and 9% for men. (Just received my Bachelor of Art’s Degree at age 39!)
As of 2006, Sweden had received 27 Noble prizes, including 5 peace prizes. This is the highest per capita ratio. (Wow, wish I could be THAT smart too).
Sweden has the highest ratio of McDonald’s restaurants per capita inEurope. (Yet, obesity is not as prominent there as here in the United States).
Sweden has the highest number of nuclear plants per capita inEurope, with 10 reactors for 9 million inhabitants. (With very few or next to no accident – good job!)
Sweden has – along withDenmark and Hungary– the highest VAT in the world: 25%. (Heck why not do it this way, you pay for what you want to buy right).
Swedish Inventions include:
– They perfected the design of the zipper (Gideon Sundbäck).
– The marine propeller (John Ericsson).
– The refrigerator (Carl Munters and Baltzar von Platen).
– The computer mouse (Håkan Lans).
– The pace-maker (Rune Elmqvist). (Let’s not forget the Dynamite invented by Alfred Nobel).
A popular Swedish souvenir is the road sign for moose-crossing. Every year a huge number of these signs are stolen from Swedish roads. (I would like to get my hands on one of those signs for my house).
As of 2004 you can pay your Swedish taxes by sending an SMS message from your cell phone. (Convenience!)
The government of Sweden sends you a completely filled out tax form and if it looks good you just go online and click okay to pay your taxes.(As long as they fill it out the right way, I am all for it).
Taxes are generally between 50 and 70% of your income. (Hey, you also get many benefits because of it – such as maternity leave, free health care, and subsidized daycare).
Companies must lay off employees in first-in-last-out order when they are downsizing. (Both good and bad I guess).
You can take sick leave during your vacation if you are ill. (For me, sick leave should be used for sick leave and PTO for vacation..but that is not the case in the US is it?!)
Parents get a total of 13 months of paid maternity leave and the father is required to take at least 1 month of it. There has been a discussion about changing this to 15 months and requiring the father and mother to each take 5 and then split the last 5 as they feel appropriate. (How I would love to have that benefit).
Parental leave in Sweden can be used to take off time for parenting classes before your child is born. (Good thinking whoever made that decision).
Parents can save up their maternity leave for more than 5 years – i.e., use it for doctor’s appointments, school visit days, etc. (I could live with that!)
Daycare cost is based on your family income with a government imposed maximum. (Currently about 1/10th as much as in the U.S.!)
If you have a new child, your other children get a month of free daycare so you can concentrate on the new one. (How awesome wouldn’t that be??!)
All employees (including graduate students) get 5 weeks of paid vacation a year. (How I miss that…)
All employers (as of 2004) are required to provide free massage. (When can I sign up?)
Yearly car inspections include comprehensive safety checks as well as pollution controls.
Car insurance is flat-rate depending on the deductibles (i.e., no “comprehensive” vs. “collision” vs. “uninsured” vs. “medical”), and liability insurance is not required.
The transportation department of the Swedish government works actively to reduce the number of traffic deaths each year to zero. (Mainly by reducing the speed limits.)
The government installs elk fences along the sides of large roads to prevent elk from wandering into traffic.
There is no right turn on red.
Multi-lane highways often merge in large roundabouts.
Any product you purchase is guaranteed for 1 year, and the retailer must exchange it if it fails in that time.
All non-military property that is not fenced in, or is not a farm or someone’s personal garden is open to anyone for hiking through or camping for one night. (Swedes call it the Everyman’s Rights).
Ice cream comes in blueberry and rhubarb flavors, and is never florescent. (Although the licorice ice cream can be coal black.)
Roughly 20% of the country’s police stations close during the summer since everyone is off on vacation. (Wonder if that is about to change since crime is on the rise).
The sun rises at 3.30am in the summer.
The sun sets at 3.30pm in the winter. (Ugh!)
Christmas is celebrated on the evening of the 24th. The father always goes out to buy a newspaper and while he is gone Santa arrives (in person) to deliver presents.
Swedish university students are required to pay a membership fee in the student union, but no tuition.
American textbooks are cheaper in Sweden than in the U.S.
In Sweden IKEA is a cheap store, not a trendy store. (And they are only open until 8pm on special days.)
Recycling is taken so seriously that one company (FTI) is trying to put up video cameras to make sure people sort their recyclables correctly.
Privacy is taken so seriously that putting up video cameras in laundry rooms to catch vandals is illegal.
Learning to speak Swedish is frustrating because everyone in Sweden already speaks better English than you will ever speak Swedish.
On Easter children dress up as witches and go trick-or-treating.
St. Lucia is a nationally celebrated saint (complete with baked goods and TV shows), and despite the fact that she is a saint because she tore out her own eyes to avoid being seduced by a man, little children dress up like her every winter.
…Well, after all that it makes me wonder why I have not decided to raise my child in Sweden after all…
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Random Quote
There is something wrong in a government where they who do the most have the least. There is something wrong when honesty wears a rag, and rascality a robe; when the loving, the tender, eat a crust, while the infamous sit at banquets.
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