Government policy

Expo 2025 will take place from 13 April to 13 October in Osaka with ‘Designing Future Society for Our Lives’ as the theme. Sweden’s participation in World Expo and the joint Nordic pavilion will focus on solutions for the green and digital transitions. This participation is a joint initiative by the State and the business community. It is the largest promotional initiative in Japan of the decade and provides Swedish companies with major business opportunities. Participation in Expo is a concrete expression of the investment in Asia that the Government presented in its strategy for foreign trade, investment and global competitiveness.

Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Sweden has provided military, humanitarian and civil support to support Ukraine. Since February 2022, Sweden contributed approximately SEK 92.8 billion (approx. EUR 8.4 billion*) to various initiatives that support Ukraine (31 March 2025). Together with the EU, Sweden has also adopted macroeconomic support and several sanctions packages against Russia.

The Government is carrying out a paradigm shift with a migration policy that is responsible and sustainable in the long term. This means Sweden is redirecting its focus from being a country for asylum immigration to now being a country for labour immigration. Sweden needs to continue to attract foreign experts, researchers and talents in order to strengthen Swedish competitiveness and Sweden’s status as a research nation. Reduced asylum immigration creates better conditions for successful integration. The Government believes in every individual’s motivation. Integration policy should enable more people to contribute to Swedish society.

Sweden joined the European Union on 1 January 1995, which makes this the 30th anniversary of Sweden’s EU membership. This will be marked with a variety of activities throughout the year.

A strategy for Sweden’s foreign and security policy on cyber and digital issues. This strategy aims to enhance Sweden’s security, prosperity and competitiveness through a cohesive and integrated foreign and security policy on cyber and digital issues. By reinforcing a global, open, free and secure cyberspace based on the rule of law, Sweden can strengthen its international role and influence.

The most substantial reinforcement of the total defence since the Cold War is now taking place. Sweden is rapidly rearming in an international context and making major investments in both the civil and the military defence. The military defence is being allocated more than SEK 170 billion and the civil defence more than SEK 37.5 billion by 2030. Military defence expenditures will reach 2.6 per cent of GDP by 2028. A powerful Swedish total defence strengthens the security of both Sweden and NATO.

Government appropriations to military defence are increasing by nearly SEK 13 billion from 2024 to 2025, including upward adjustments and previous decisions. This represents a 10 per cent increase. Appropriations for military defence amount to SEK 143 billion for 2025.

The Strategy for Sweden’s foreign trade, investment and global competitiveness outlines a new holistic approach to creating the best possible conditions for Swedish companies to grow, develop and assume leading positions in tomorrow’s global markets.

Sweden builds security together with others. Sweden’s accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a cornerstone in this work. In addition, Sweden has extensive defence cooperation with other countries, both in the form of bilateral cooperation between Sweden and another country and multilateral cooperation with several countries.

On 7 October 2023, Hamas carried out a terrorist attack against Israel. The security situation in the region has seriously deteriorated since then. Information about the Government’s response to the situation and the subsequent war is provided here.

In the first half of 2023, the Swedish Government launched the defence innovation initiative to increase the capacity and pace of innovation in the defence industry. This initiative should create added value through increased and enhanced collaboration within and between the business sector and government agencies in various sectors. The purpose is to strengthen Sweden’s security and national defence capability and boost competitiveness in the defence industry.

In Sweden, everyone must be able to live a secure life without fear of being a victim of crime, regardless of who they are or where they live. To counteract the major challenges connected to crime and insecurity in our country, investments in the judicial system and criminal law measures must be combined with effective and proactive crime prevention efforts. The Government’s national strategy Barriärer mot brott (Barriers to crime) is an important part of these efforts. The focus of the strategy is social crime prevention efforts, including the prevention of children and young people from becoming involved in criminal networks and other crime, and ensuring that those who do commit crimes leave that world behind.

Organised crime poses a significant threat to Sweden. The violence, the threats, the recruitment of children, and the criminal economy have both direct and indirect impacts on people’s safety and security, as well as on critical societal functions. This calls for both resistance and decisive action – organised crime must be prevented and combated with the full collective force of society. The strategy describes the problems in detail, provides guidelines for measures, and outlines the most important work planned by the Government moving forward.

The Financial Stability Council is a meeting forum for regular discussion of issues concerning financial stability and risks that can lead to undesired consequences for the financial system as a whole. The council will ultimately work to safeguard financial stability and thus reduce the risk of a negative impact on the economic outlook. The council will also discuss the preparation of, and need for, measures if it is deemed that stability is at risk.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – particularly antibiotic resistance – has long been an important issue for Sweden, and action is being taken to prevent the spread of AMR and its effects both in Sweden and globally.

Sweden’s total defence involves the whole of society. Total defence is the range of activities required to prepare Sweden for war and consists of two areas of activity – military defence and civil defence.

Terrorism threatens peace and security, and our fundamental rights and freedoms. The threat today is more complex than in the past, and for several years now, serious ideologically motivated crime has contributed to the increased threat to individuals and Swedish interests. The Government's comprehensive national strategy against both violent extremism and terrorism takes a long-term approach to work at local, regional, national and international level. This type of crime must be prevented and combatted with the full force of society.

The Government parties, in cooperation with the Sweden Democrats, have decided on six collaborative projects. Within the framework of these projects, they will draft and carry out political reforms to resolve Sweden’s most important societal challenges. In addition to the six collaborative projects, the Government is working on two other priorities.

In 2024, Sweden will coordinate the informal foreign and security cooperation formats of the Nordic and Baltic countries (NB8) and the Nordic countries (N5). The NB8 and N5 are led by foreign ministers, who meet several times a year to discuss current issues. During the year, focus will be on strengthening security cooperation in the region and continued support to Ukraine.

A safer, greener and freer Nordic region – this is the focus of the 2024 Swedish Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers. The vision of the Nordic region being the world’s most integrated and sustainable region by 2030 will shape the Swedish Presidency.