Sweden, Population

Sweden’s population is composed principally of Scandinavians of Germanic descent and a relatively small number of ethnic Finns. About 17,000 Saami live mainly in the northern part of the country. Sweden’s immigrant population is increasing rapidly, with approximately 500,000 aliens living in Sweden in the early 1990s. These included Finns, people from the former Yugoslavia, Iranians, Norwegians, Danes, Turks, Chileans, and others. Many came to Sweden as guest workers. Recently, increased numbers have entered Sweden to escape the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina; Sweden is second only to Germany in the number of refugees from that region.