Relationship dossier
Sweden
United Kingdom
Relationship assessment
Sweden and the United Kingdom sustain a close partnership focused on defence, security and European cooperation.
Sweden toward United Kingdom
+70Sweden has developed a bilateral strategic partnership with the United Kingdom and cooperates with it on defence and security, including through the Joint Expeditionary Force. Sweden’s NATO membership further deepens cooperation with the UK as a fellow ally.
United Kingdom toward Sweden
+75The United Kingdom has pursued a bilateral strategic partnership with Sweden and cooperates with it on defence and security, including through the Joint Expeditionary Force. In 2022, the UK provided Sweden with security assurances during its NATO application process.
Overall relationship
+75The relationship is underpinned by a bilateral strategic partnership and sustained defence cooperation, including within the Joint Expeditionary Force and NATO. The UK’s security assurances to Sweden during its NATO application reinforced this partnership. These durable cooperative arrangements support a close overall relationship.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Sweden and the United Kingdom maintain a close security and diplomatic partnership, including a bilateral strategic partnership and cooperation through the Joint Expeditionary Force. The United Kingdom gave Sweden security assurances during its 2022 NATO application process, and both countries work together on European security. Their relationship is substantially cooperative, though the depth and implementation of particular initiatives can vary.
Key developments
The United Kingdom and Sweden signed a mutual security assurance declaration during Sweden’s NATO application process.
The two governments established a bilateral strategic partnership covering areas including security and defence.
Sweden joined NATO, becoming a fellow ally of the United Kingdom.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral strategic partnership initiatives are unclear.
- The scale of ongoing bilateral defence cooperation beyond shared frameworks is uncertain.