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Swedish Iranians

People of Iranian nationality who have settled in Sweden From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Swedish Iranians or Swedish Persians[1] consist of people of Iranian nationality who have settled in Sweden, as well as Swedish residents and citizens of Iranian heritage. As of 2019, there were 80,136 residents of Sweden born in Iran, as well as 40,883 born in Sweden with at least one Iranian-born parent.[2]

Quick Facts svenskiranierایرانیان سوئد, Total population ...
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Terminology

Swedish-Iranian is in some cases used interchangeably with Swedish-Persian[1][3][4][5], partly due to the fact that many are members of the Persian ethnic group, which comprise about 65% of Iran's population [1][6]. While the majority of Iranians come from Persian backgrounds, there is a significant number of non-Persian Iranians such as Azeris[7][8][9], Lurs, and Kurds within the Iranian community of Sweden[6][10]. "Swedish-Iranian" is thus more inclusive, since the label "Persian" excludes other non-Persian iranians that have moved to Sweden. [6]

The tendency among Swedish Iranians to categorize themselves as "Persian" rather than "Iranian", is sometimes also a strategy used by some members of the group to dissociate themselves from the Islamic regime of Iran, which has been in charge since the 1979 Revolution. The name of the country of Iran was known in much of the world as "Persia", prior to a name change in 1935[11].

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Demographics

There are approximately 63,828 people[12] born in Iran living in Sweden today, as well as 28,600 people born in Sweden with at least one parent born in Iran. They are one of Sweden's largest immigrant groups, accounting for about 1.7% of the population.[13]

The very first wave of Iranian refugees consisted of 5,000 Iranian refugees who fled to Sweden in 1979-1980 most of them were middle-aged, middle-class Pahlavi supporters who were opposing the revolution. When the Iran–Iraq War broke out in 1980, almost 20,000 Iranian citizens found asylum in Sweden. Second generation Iranian Swedes are well-represented in higher education and in some well paying professions like dentistry and engineering.

About 60% percent of Swedish Iranians go on to higher education – more than the Swedish average (45%).[12] Iranian culture with its emphasis on education may be part of the reason for this. Becoming an engineer or a doctor is a mantra in many families. Abundantly represented minorities amongst the Swedish Iranians, like in other Iranian diaspora nations are Azerbaijanis, Kurds, Armenians and Assyrians.

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Notable Iranians in Sweden

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See also

References

External links

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