Sweden

With a per capita income of $29,800, Sweden is the 27th richest nation in the world. After rebounding from a global downturn in 2000–2002, the economy is growing at a rate of 2.7 percent. Inflation is well under control at 0.5 percent, and unemployment currently stands at 5.8 percent. Income is fairly well distributed in Sweden, and the country ranks 25 on the Gini Index of Inequality. The richest 10 percent of the people hold 20.1 percent of resources, and the poorest 10 percent claim 3.7 percent. Sweden has an extensive welfare system that provides healthcare services to the entire population. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Reports rank Sweden fifth in the world n overall quality-of-life issues.

The Swedish government spends 3 percent of the total budget on health. Of the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 9.4 percent is earmarked for health-related programs, and the government allots $2,704 (international dollars) per capita to health. More than 85 percent of total health spending is covered by the government. The private sector supplies 14.8 percent of health funding, and 92.10 percent of that amount is derived from out-of-pocket expenses. There are 3.28 physicians, 10.24 nurses, 0.70 midwives, 0.82 dentists, and 0.66 pharmacists per 1,000 population in Sweden.

In 1999, Sweden instituted a new social insurance program that mandates private retirement accounts to furnish coverage for the elderly, the disabled, and survivors. Workers pay 7 percent of assessable income into these accounts, and the self-employed contribute 10.21 percent of assessable earnings. Employers contribute 10.21 percent of payroll, and the government subsidizes those who are not covered through other programs. All residents receive medical benefits, and cash benefits are paid to the seriously ill and new parents. [Page 1637]All residents with one or more children are eligible for family allowances.

The National Health System, financed by taxes, is compulsory, and the number of Swedes opting for voluntary insurance is minimal. Direct healthcare services are provided at the regional level through healthcare districts composed of a hospital and several primary healthcare units. Swedish cities have been given the responsibility for providing social welfare services that include school health services, nursing home care, and in-home care.

Sweden has the seventh highest life expectancy in the world (80.51 years), and women generally outlive men by around five years. Literacy is virtually universal at 99 percent, and all of the relevant populations attend primary and secondary schools. The entire population has sustained access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation. Around 78 percent of women in the relevant age group use some method of birth control, and Swedish women give birth at a rate of 1.66 children each. All births are attended by trained personnel, and the adjusted maternal mortality ratio of two deaths per 100,000 live births is one of the lowest in the world.

Between 1990 and 2004, infant mortality was halved, dropping from six to three deaths per 1,000 live births. During that same period, the mortality rate of children under the age of 6 fell from seven to four deaths per 1,000 live births. Currently, Sweden's infant mortality rate is the second lowest in the world (2.76 deaths per 1,000 live births). Despite the overall good health of the Swedish population, 4 percent of infants are underweight at birth. In general, infant immunization rates are high: 99 percent of infants receive diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus (DPT1 and DPT3) and polio vaccinations; 98 percent receive Haemophilus influenzae type B; and 94 percent receive measles vaccinations. Immunization rates for other diseases are significantly lower. Only 16 percent of Swedish infants are immunized against tuberculosis, and 1 percent is immunized against hepatitis B.

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