Ethnic Swedes

The designation ethnic Swedes is problematic, most of all, since the Swedes themselves do not use the term much. In English the term marks either cultural/historical or linguistic connection to the great bulk of Swedes, them of Sweden.

The largest group of Swedish speakers, outside of Sweden, are the 265,000 Finland-Swedes. Their presence in Finland go back to colonization of coastal areas of Gulf of Finland and Gulf of Bothnia in the Middle Ages, but their number was greatly increased by social mobility in the Swedish realm, of which present-day Finland was an integrate part until 1809. According to views common in Finland, the Finland-Swedes have more in common with the Finnish majority in Finland than with the Scandinavian Swedes.

95% of the population on the Åland Islands, 25,000 people, are Swedish speakers. Their ethnicity is commonly noted as Swedish and often as distinct from the Finland-Swedes'. Their language, history and culture are in all aspects closer to that of neighboring provinces in Sweden than in Finland. However, 20th century experiences of benevolent Finnish sovereignty and perceived coolness from Sweden may contribute to increasing identification with Finland and decreasing emphasis on the ethnic bonds to Sweden.

Among other groups outside of Sweden, who commonly are denoted as ethnic Swedes are the Estonia-Swedes and the Swedes living in Ukraine. The number of the Estonia-Swedes counted to about 12,000 in 1563. Estonia was under Swedish rule 1558–1721, and then belonged to Russia. In 1781 1,300 Estonia-Swedes, living at Dagö, were forcibly moved to Ukraine by Catherine II of Russia, where they formed Gammalsvenskby (Old Swedish Village). At the census in Estonia 1934 there were 7,641 Swedish speaking Estonia-Swedes (0.7% of the population in Estonia), making Swedes the third largest national minority, after Russians and Germans. During World War II most Estonia-Swedes fled to Sweden. Today there are maybe a few hundred Estonia-Swedes living i Estonia and a few hundred in Ukraine.