National minorities
In Sweden, there are five recognised national minorities. They have in common the fact that they have lived in Sweden for hundreds of years.
Each recognized minority have a religious, linguistic or cultural affiliation and a desire to maintain their identity.
The five recognised national minorities in Sweden are:
- Jews
- Roma
- Sweden Finns
- the indigenous Sami
- Tornedalers
The five recognised national minority languages are:
- Finnish
- Meänkieli
- Romani Chib
- Sami
- Yiddish
It is against the law to keep statistics on an ethnic basis, which means that the data held by the City is based on estimates produced together with the minorities. According to these estimates, there are about 100,000 people living in the City of Stockholm who identify as a national minority. Affinity is based on self-identification.
The city's work with national minorities is part of the city's work on human rights.
Protection for national minorities
Under the Act on National Minorities and Minority Languages, Swedish municipalities are obligated to promote the ability of national minorities to preserve and develop their culture in Sweden, as well as to support and protect the national minority languages. The city must pay particular attention to supporting children and young people in developing their cultural identity and in their ability to use their mother tongue.
The city is also required to inform national minorities of their rights and the obligations of public authorities. National minorities have the right to influence matters that affect them.
The Swedish National Minorities and Minority Languages Act (2009:724) (in Swedish)
Participation and influence
The City of Stockholm consults with representatives from the minority groups on issues that affect the minority.
The City Executive Board’s Council for National Minorities shall act as an advisory body to strengthen the rights of national minorities and indigenous peoples in the City of Stockholm. The work is based on minority legislation.
The City Executive Board’s Committees and Councils
The City also has an obligation to consult Sámi representatives before making decisions in matters that may be of particular significance to the Sámi people.
Administrative area for Finnish, Meänkieli and Sami
The City of Stockholm is part of the administrative area for Finnish, Meänkieli, and Sámi. This means that individuals who speak or have a connection to these languages are entitled to specific rights. These rights include, among others:
- the right to use Finnish, Meänkieli, and Sámi in their communications with the city
- the right to be offered preschool education where all or a substantial part of the instruction is conducted in Finnish, Meänkieli, or Sámi
- the right to receive elder care where all or a substantial part of the services are provided in Finnish, Meänkieli, or Sámi.
National minorities’ days
On the days celebrating national minorities, flags are flown on the Honnörstrappan steps with Swedish flag and the Sami, Sweden Finnish, Roma and Tornedaler flags respectively. The Jewish minority does not have an established day or flag and is therefore not acknowledged in this way.
The national minorities’ days are:
- 6 February 6, Sami National Day
- 24 February, Sweden Finns Day
- 8 April, International Roma Day
- 15 July, Tornedalers Day.
Community and cultural grants
The Culture Department answers questions about community and cultural grants for associations for national minorities.
Organisation
Each council/committee has its own responsibility for ensuring that the rights of national minorities are respected. The City Executive Office coordinates and supports the work of the councils/committees to respect the rights of national minorities.
Policy documents
The annual budget, adopted by the City Council, is the ultimate governing document for all the City’s operations. Completing policy documents establish and clarify how the City’s operations should operate and how they should be run.
Most of these policy documents, including the City’s programme for human rights, guidelines for the City’s work on the rights of national minorities and the strategy for Roma inclusion, are available in Swedish only.
Do you belong to any of the national minorities?
You will find out here what rights you have and what demands you can make of your municipality and of other government agencies. The information is available in each minority language and in Swedish.