Survey on perception of NATO membership in Sweden 2014-2024

On May 15, 2022, the Swedish government announced its intention to join the military alliance NATO. After over a year of negotiating with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the two countries reached an agreement, with Erdoğan stating that he would support a Swedish NATO-membership. The final hurdle was removed in February 2024 when Hungary's parliament voted to approve Sweden's membership application, the last NATO-member needing to do so. As of March 2024, only a formal signing of the membership remains before Sweden will become the 32nd NATO member.

Membership comes after decades of neutrality

The Nordic country had remained outside the organization, referring to its neutrality, a stance supported by a majority of the population over the past years. However, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, there were more Swedes in favor of a NATO-membership in 2022. By May 2022, nearly 60 percent of the Swedes were in favor of the country joining NATO, a trend that continued into 2023 and 2024. Also in Sweden's neighboring country Finland, who joined NATO in April 2023, there was a majority in favor of joining the alliance.

Increased military spending

Sweden's military spending reached a new record in 2022 amid the rising global tensions. As a share of the gross domestic product (GDP), the military expenditure reached 1.3 percent, below the NATO-target of two percent. Read all about the Swedish Armed Forces here.