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Swedish Ancestry in America

People of Swedish ancestry form an important group in several countries in North and South America. Between 1846 and 1930, roughly 1.3 million people, about 20% of the Swedish population, left the country and settles in the United States and Canada.

As per the US Census 2020, Swedish ancestry is estimated at 3.6 million people. It also forms an important minority Group in Canada, Brazil, and Argentina. 

Let’s have a look at Countries having significant Swedish ancestry

Swedish Americans are Americans who have full or partial Swedish ancestry.  In the United States census of 2020, 3.7 million people self-identified as being fully or partly of Swedish ancestry. 

According to the United States Ancestry Census estimates 2020, there were 3,627,796  (1.11% of the US Population) people of Swedish descent in the U.S.

Swedish Ancestry Statewise

Population wise Minnesota (410,091) has the largest number of people with Swedish Ancestry followed by California (357,926), Illinois (241,187), Washington (209,559), and Florida (143,896).

Percentage-wise top US states with Swedish Ancestry are Minnesota (7.32%), North Dakota (3.90%), Nebraska (3.69%), Utah  (3.44%), and South Dakota (3.0%).

List of States by Swedish Ancestry Population

#States2020 Estimates pop.Percentage
1Alabama14,9520.31%
2Alaska14,7812.01%
3Arizona95,9951.34%
4Arkansas13,5740.45%
5California357,9260.91%
6Colorado122,6442.16%
7Connecticut49,3151.38%
8Delaware7,2260.75%
9District of Columbia5,5920.80%
10Florida143,8960.68%
11Georgia42,2870.40%
12Hawaii9,1840.65%
13Idaho49,1512.80%
14Illinois241,1871.90%
15Indiana52,9500.79%
16Iowa78,4562.49%
17Kansas57,9651.99%
18Kentucky17,1070.38%
19Louisiana11,7530.25%
20Maine21,6761.62%
21Maryland31,3990.52%
22Massachusetts104,2111.52%
23Michigan132,0031.32%
24Minnesota410,0917.32%
25Mississippi8,6960.29%
26Missouri55,2600.90%
27Montana28,7172.70%
28Nebraska70,9213.69%
29Nevada32,4491.07%
30New Hampshire25,5511.89%
31New Jersey48,7590.55%
32New Mexico15,0350.72%
33New York109,6230.56%
34North Carolina57,4170.55%
35North Dakota29,6303.90%
36Ohio67,1490.58%
37Oklahoma23,7790.60%
38Oregon97,6512.34%
39Pennsylvania93,9010.73%
40Rhode Island15,7211.49%
41South Carolina23,4080.46%
42South Dakota26,3833.00%
43Tennessee30,7380.45%
44Texas140,1230.49%
45Utah108,3173.44%
46Vermont10,1701.63%
47Virginia52,8190.62%
48Washington209,5592.79%
49West Virginia5,9750.33%
50Wisconsin138,5992.39%
51Wyoming16,1252.77%

Source: US Census estimates 2020

Swedish Canadians are Canadians who have full or partial Swedish ancestry. Swedish Canadians account for about  1.01%  of the total population of Canada

According to the Canadian Census 2016, there were 349,640 people of Swedish descent in Canada.

Swedish Ancestry Provinces

 British Columbia with 110,030 people of Swedish ancestry, has the largest population of Swedish -Canadians in Canada followed by Alberta  (97,835) and Ontario (71,035). Percentage-wise Yukon (3.12%) has the highest percentage of Swedish followed by Saskatchewan (3.07%) and  Alberta (2.46%).

Cities with a significant Swedish population are Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Toronto.

List of Provinces by Swedish Ancestry Population

#Provinces and TerritoriesResponsesPercentage
1 Alberta97,8352.46%
2 British Columbia110,0302.41%
3 Manitoba22,4701.81%
4 New Brunswick2,0150.28%
5 Newfoundland and Labrador9950.19%
6 Northwest Territories3700.90%
7 Nova Scotia3,5650.39%
8 Nunavut1200.34%
9 Ontario71,0350.54%
10 Prince Edward Island4550.33%
11 Quebec6,8400.09%
12 Saskatchewan32,8153.07%
13 Yukon1,0953.12%
  Canada— Total349,6401.01%

Source: Canada Census 2016

Swedish Argentines are Argentine citizens of Swedish descent, as well as Swedish-born people who reside in Argentina. Argentina is home to the largest Swedish community in Latin America. Numerous communities can be found in Misiones Province and Buenos Aires and as per the estimate Swedish population in Argentina is around 40,000.

Swedish  Brazilians are Brazilians who have full or partial Swedish ancestry.  In Brazil, they are considered part of a large Scandinavian Brazilian group. The Scandinavian settlement in Brazil began in the mid to late 19th century and was predominant when around 3,640 Scandinavian peoples arrived in Brazil, mainly from Sweden. As per the estimates, there were 23,048 people of Swedish descent in Brazil.

Regions with a significant Swedish population.

  • Rio de Janeiro,
  • Natal
  • Curitiba
  • São Paulo
  • Ceará
Swedish Ancestry in America | Swedish Americans