The Rise and Fall of the "Swedish Model"

In 1870, Sweden's per capita income was lass than half of Britain's, and well below the average of Northern and Western Europe. Over three-quarters of the population eked out a meagre existence from semi-arctic agriculture. Rapid population growth put severe pressure on the carrying capacity of the land, and large parts of the country were subject to massive forestation and environmental degradation. Between 1850 and 1910, over one million Swedes, out of a population of around four million at that time, emigrated, mainly to North America, in search of a better life.