| Total population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 120,000[1] | |||
| Regions with significant populations | |||
|
|||
| Languages | |||
| Religion | |||
|
Syriac Orthodox Church, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Catholic Church |
Assyrians/Syriacs in Sweden are people of residing in Sweden. Initially, most came from Turkey, Lebanon and Syria. During the 2000s, an unprecedented immigration wave from Iraq reached Sweden as a result of the Iraq War (see Iraqis in Sweden).
About 60% of the 120 000 Assyrians/Syriacs in Sweden belong to the Syriac Orthodox Church and the others belong to the Chaldean Catholic Church, the Assyrian Church of the East, the Syriac Catholic Church and the Ancient Church of the East.[2] Of the 50 000 Assyrians living in Stockholm County, 30 000 live in the city of Södertälje and 8 000 in Botkyrka Municipality. Other cities with high concentrations of Assyrians are Jönköping, Norrköping, Gothenburg, Eskilstuna, Linköping, Örebro, Västerås, Märsta and Skövde. There are around 40 Syriac churches in Sweden, including six churches in Södertälje.
Assyrians are regarded as the most successful immigrant group in Sweden.[3][4] It is about three times more common for Assyrians to start a company than others in Sweden.[5] Some famous Swedish professional football (soccer) teams are Assyriska Föreningen, Syrianska FC, Syrianska Botkyrka IF, Syrianska IF Kerburan and Valsta Syrianska IK. The international TV-channels Suryoyo Sat and Suroyo TV are also based in Södertälje. There are currently five Assyrians that are representatives in the Parliament of Sweden. Ibrahim Baylan currently Sweden Parliament Representative, was Sweden Minister of Education 2004-2006 and the first ever minister of Sweden originating from a non-European country.
There is an ideological division of this group in Sweden between[6]
To account for this division, official Swedish sources refer to the group as "Assyrier/Syrianer", with a slash (similar to the US census, which opted for "Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac").