A secular state in a multi-religious country

This chapter covers Sweden as a secular state and a multi-religious country, and how freedom of religion works in practice. Sweden has no state religion; the Church of Sweden was separated from the state in 2000 and is now one religious community among others, though it remains the largest, with the king constitutionally required to belong to the Evangelical Lutheran faith. Freedom of religion is protected in the Instrument of Government: everyone has the right to practise their religion alone or together with others, and no one can be forced to belong to a religious community or reveal their beliefs to a public authority.

The chapter describes Sweden's religious landscape today as diverse, shaped by immigration over the past century. Besides Christianity, in various denominations, Islam is described as the second-largest religion in terms of number of adherents, alongside Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism, as well as a large share of the population with no religious affiliation at all. Religious communities can register with the Swedish Agency for Support to Faith Communities (Myndigheten för stöd till trossamfund, SST) to receive state grants, provided they meet requirements such as contributing to society and respecting democratic values and human rights.

A section covers how religion meets everyday institutions. Public schools are non-denominational, meaning teaching must be objective and may not promote a particular faith, though pupils have the right to take part in their own religious practice outside school hours. Workplaces and public authorities are expected to be neutral in religious matters. The chapter also discusses tension points, such as debates about religious clothing, ritual slaughter, and holidays that fall outside the Christian calendar, as examples of where religious freedom and other rules or values can come into conflict and need to be balanced. Because the chapter is explicit about the year of separation between church and state, the names of specific religions and agencies, and the legal basis for religious freedom, the test is likely to probe exactly these facts and definitions.