This is a list of towns in modern Sweden that once enjoyed town privileges, thus were entitled to call themselves town (Swedish: stad, plural städer). The year indicates the year they were established or when they were granted a royal charter. The list does not include towns of Finland established during Swedish rule.
Legally and administratively, the term stad is not used in Sweden since the municipal reform of 1971, when the municipality (kommun) became only existing form of local government. Before the reform there were 132 urban centres that had the title of stad.
The urban centres of these municipalities are still called stad in daily speech, and 13 of the municipalities have chosen to continue to call themselves stad in marketing situation, although several of them now encompass large rural areas following the merger of Swedish municipalities in the 1970s and 1980s. These 13 are: Borås Municipality, Gothenburg Municipality, Haparanda Municipality, Helsingborg Municipality, Lidingö Municipality, Malmö Municipality, Mölndal Municipality, Solna Municipality, Stockholm Municipality, Sundbyberg Municipality, Trollhättan Municipality, Vaxholm Municipality and Västerås Municipality.
The decision to call themselves stad has been taken purely for image/marketing reasons. In legal situations the word kommun (municipality) must be included in the municipality's name, and governmental authorities will only refer to them by their legal names.
| Town | Population | Charter |
|---|---|---|
| Alingsås | 37,825 | 1619 |
| Arboga | 10,369 | 1200 |
| Arvika | 14,184 | 1911 |
| Askersund | 3,937 | 1643 |
| Avesta | 14,738 | 1641–1686, 1919 |
| Boden | 18,680 | 1919 |
| Bollnäs | 26,455 | 1942 |
| Borgholm | 3,093 | 1816 |
| Borlänge | 49,200 | 1944 |
| Borås | 63,441 | 1622 |
| Djursholm | 8,819 | 1914 |
| Eksjö | 9,676 | 1400 |
| Enköping | 20,204 | 1300 |
| Eskilstuna | 60,185 | 1659 |
| Eslöv | 16,551 | 1911 |
| Fagersta | 10,890 | 1944 |
| Falkenberg | 18,972 | 1558 |
| Falköping | 15,821 | 1200 |
| Falsterbo[1] | 1200 | |
| Falun | 36,447 | 1651 |
| Filipstad | 6,177 | 1611 |
| Flen | 6,114 | 1949 |
| Gothenburg | 516,532 | 1619 |
| Gränna | 2,578 | 1652 |
| Gävle | 95,055 | 1446 (before) |
| Hagfors | 5,403 | 1950 |
| Halmstad | 55,688 | 1200 |
| Haparanda | 4,778 | 1848 |
| Hedemora | 15,164 | 1446 (before) |
| Helsingborg | 97,122 | 1085 |
| Hjo | 6,075 | 1400 |
| Hudiksvall | 14,850 | 1582 |
| Huskvarna | 21,500 | 1911 |
| Härnösand | 18,003 | 1585 |
| Hässleholm | 17,730 | 1914 |
| Höganäs | 13,550 | 1936 |
| Jönköping | 89,396 | 1284 |
| Kalmar | 35,170 | 1100 |
| Karlshamn | 18,768 | 1664 |
| Karlskoga | 27,500 | 1940 |
| Karlskrona | 35,212 | 1680 |
| Karlstad | 61,685 | 1584 |
| Katrineholm | 21,386 | 1917 |
| Kiruna | 18,154 | 1948 |
| Kramfors | 6,235 | 1947 |
| Kristianstad | 35,711 | 1622 |
| Kristinehamn | 17,836 | 1582–1584, 1642 |
| Kumla | 20,456 | 1942 |
| Kungsbacka | 17,784 | 1400 |
| Kungälv | 21,139 | 1100 |
| Köping | 17,358 | 1474 |
| Laholm | 5,835 | 1200 |
| Landskrona | 28,670 | 1413 |
| Lidingö | 44,000 | 1926 |
| Lidköping | 27,941 | 1446 |
| Lindesberg | 8,752 | 1643 |
| Linköping | 97,428 | 1287 |
| Ljungby | 14,810 | 1936 |
| Ludvika | 14,018 | 1919 |
| Luleå | 45,467 | 1621 |
| Lund | 82,800 | 990 |
| Lycksele | 8,597 | 1946 |
| Lysekil | 7,568 | 1903 |
| Malmö | 293,909 | 1250 |
| Mariefred | 3,813 | 1605 |
| Mariestad | 25,000 | 1583 |
| Marstrand | 1,432 | 1200 |
| Mjölby | 11,927 | 1922 |
| Motala | 29,798 | 1881 |
| Nacka | 90,108 | 1949 |
| Nora | 6,496 | 1643 |
| Norrköping | 83,561 | 1384 |
| Norrtälje | 16,263 | 1622 |
| Nybro | 12,598 | 1932 |
| Nyköping | 32,427 | 1187 |
| Nynäshamn | 13,079 | 1946 |
| Nässjö | 16,463 | 1914 |
| Oskarshamn | 17,258 | 1856 |
| Oxelösund | 10,843 | 1950 |
| Piteå | 22,650 | 1621 |
| Ronneby | 11,767 | 1387–1680, 1882 |
| Sala | 12,059 | 1624 |
| Sandviken | 22,574 | 1943 |
| Sigtuna | 7,204 | 980 |
| Simrishamn | 6,546 | 1300 |
| Skanör med Falsterbo[2] | 6,941 | 1754 |
| Skanör[3] | 1200 | |
| Skara | 18,595 | 988 |
| Skellefteå | 32,425 | 1845 |
| Skänninge | 3,242 | 1200 |
| Skövde | 34,446 | 1400 |
| Sollefteå | 8,530 | 1917 |
| Solna | 67,115 | 1943 |
| Stockholm | 851,155 | 1250 |
| Strängnäs | 32,400 | 1336 |
| Strömstad | 6,110 | 1672 |
| Sundbyberg | 38,180 | 1927 |
| Sundsvall | 49,339 | 1624 |
| Säffle | 6,156 | 1951 |
| Säter | 4,438 | 1642 |
| Sävsjö | 5,068 | 1947 |
| Söderhamn | 12,056 | 1620 |
| Söderköping | 6,951 | 1200 |
| Södertälje | 86,069 | 1000 |
| Sölvesborg | 7,883 | 1445 |
| Tidaholm | 7,920 | 1910 |
| Torshälla | 7,614 | 1317 |
| Tranås | 14,017 | 1919 |
| Trelleborg | 25,643 | 1200 |
| Trollhättan | 44,498 | 1916 |
| Trosa | 11,417 | 1300 |
| Uddevalla | 30,513 | 1498 |
| Ulricehamn | 6,787 | 1400 |
| Umeå | 75,645 | 1622 |
| Uppsala | 190,983 | 1286 |
| Vadstena | 5,612 | 1400 |
| Varberg | 26,041 | 1100 |
| Vaxholm | 4,857 | 1652 |
| Vetlanda | 12,691 | 1920 |
| Vimmerby | 7,827 | 1400 |
| Visby | 22,236 | 1000 |
| Vänersborg | 21,672 | 1644 |
| Värnamo | 18,696 | 1920 |
| Västervik | 20,694 | 1200 |
| Västerås | 135,936 | 990 |
| Växjö | 65,000 | 1342 |
| Ystad | 17,286 | 1200 |
| Åmål | 9,380 | 1643 |
| Ängelholm | 38,222 | 1516 |
| Örebro | 107,038 | 1200 |
| Öregrund | 1,555 | 1491 |
| Örnsköldsvik | 28,617 | 1894 |
| Östersund | 43,796 | 1786 |
| Östhammar | 4,534 | 1300 |
Contents |
Most of the former towns are today urban centres (tätorter) and seats of their municipalities.
A number of suburban towns have grown together with neighbours and are nowadays seldom considered as separate towns:
The following are not seats of their municipalities:
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