Stockholm County (Swedish: Stockholms län [ˈstɔ̂kː(h)ɔlms ˈlɛːn]) is a county (Swedish: län) on the Baltic Sea coast of Sweden. It borders Uppsala County and Södermanland County. It also borders Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. The city of Stockholm is the capital of Sweden. Stockholm County is divided by the historic provinces of Uppland (Roslagen) and Södermanland (Södertörn). More than one fifth of the Swedish population lives in the county. Stockholm County is also one of the statistical riksområden (national areas) according to NUTS:SE, Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics within the EU. With more than two million inhabitants, Stockholm is the most densely populated county of Sweden.
Stockholm County was established in 1714. The City of Stockholm then constituted its own administrative entity under the Governor of Stockholm and was not part of Stockholm County. Though outside Stockholm County, the City of Stockholm was its seat.
On 1 January 1968, Stockholm County was united with the City of Stockholm. At the same time, the borders were redrawn in other directions too; Upplands-Bro Municipality was transferred from Uppsala County and a large part of the modern day Östhammar Municipality was transferred to Uppsala County.
The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the region was 145.6 billion € in 2018, accounting for 30.9% of Swedish economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 49,500 € or 164% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 132% of the EU average.[3]
Arms granted in 1968. The arms for the County of Stockholm is a combination of the arms of Uppland, Södermanland and the City of Stockholm. When it is shown with a royal crown it represents the County Administrative Board.
The table details all Riksdag elections held in Stockholm County since the unicameral era began in 1970. Stockholm and the wider county have separate parliamentary constituencies. The latter is named after the county as a whole.
The county of Stockholm comprises 26 political municipalities (kommuner):
All 132 built-up places (tätorter) in the county are shown below.[21] These refer to contiguous settlements and may straddle municipal (and occasionally county) boundaries.
The current population of Stockholm county is 2,440,027.
SCB have collected statistics on backgrounds of residents since 2002. These tables consist of all who have two foreign-born parents or are born abroad themselves.[22] The chart lists election years and the last year on record alone.
Prior to 1968 the County of Stockholm did not include the City of Stockholm. The City was instead under the Office of the Governor of Stockholm, and the County included the surrounding countryside. The County had its separate Governor of Stockholm County.
The main aim of the County Administrative Board is to fulfill the goals set in national politics by the Riksdag and the Government, to coordinate the interests of the county, to promote the development of the county, to establish regional goals and safeguard the due process of law in the handling of each case. The County Administrative Board is a Government Agency headed by a governor.
See List of Stockholm Governors.
The local administration of the county is under Stockholm County Council (Stockholms läns landsting). Its main responsibilities are for the public healthcare system and public transport.
The county council has 149 members elected by proportional representation through elections held in conjunction with the general elections every four years. The county council itself elects the county's executive committee.
The president of the committee also holds the title Commissioner of Finance. The current[update] commissioner is Catharina Elmsäter-Svärd, of the Moderate Party. The members of the executive committee (landstingsstyrelsen) represent both the political majority and the opposition, with responsibility for implementing policies approved by the county council.
Stockholm County contains two multi-seat constituencies for county council elections. Stockholm Municipality makes up the first constituency while the second makes up the rest of the county.
The county council operates most of the hospitals in the county, some of the major facilities are:
The county council is responsible for the public transport in Stockholm. The main organizers of the transportation system are two publicly owned companies. Storstockholms Lokaltrafik, SL, handles the bus, tram and train services while the boat traffic is handled by Waxholmsbolaget. The operation and maintenance of the public transport systems is delegated by the companies to several contractors.
The county is also responsible for paratransit services and Närtrafiken, a number of share taxi routes.
Besides the health and transportation services, the county council operates Stockholm County Museum, and two agricultural high schools at Berga and Säbyholm.
