Page:NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE SURVEY 11; SWEDEN-CIA-RDP01-00707R000200090017-8.pdf/7

 APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200090017-8

Nordic Pacemaker

Sweden enjoys a level of living second only to that of the United States. The Scandinavian nation stands first in the relative distribution of national wealth to all elements of the population and in its national health attainment, with the lowest infant mortality and the highest life expectancy in the world. These societal advances came about almost entirely in the last half century. As recently as the 1920's Sweden was an underdeveloped rural nation on the harsh northern perimeter of Europe, sending the remaining contingents of its then excess population to North America. Between 1860 and 1930 a quester of a million Swedes—20% of the mean population—emigrated to the New World.

The spectacular modern socioeconomic transformation of Sweden provided a major impulse for the only

NOTE—The entire content of this Chapter is UNCLASSIFIED but is FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY.

1

APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200090017-8