Sweden's global image has undergone a profound transformation. Once hailed for its low crime rates, the nation now grapples with murder stats surpassing the Western European average. Social unrest, burnt-out cars, attacks on ambulance staff and riots are recurrent, and shootings occur so frequently that they scarcely make the headlines.

Despite its small population, Sweden was once a Nordic country known for many major innovations and businesses, and for its unique social cohesion and security. Then, it suddenly opened up its borders, allowing millions of migrants from some of the world’s most dysfunctional societies and cultures into the country.

So how has large-scale immigration, rampant gang crime, unprecedented explosions and shootings affected the image of today’s Sweden? Swedes Worldwide, which is a politically independent non-profit organisation since 1938, has taken a closer look.

„Through the eyes of Swedes living abroad, we wanted to find out how Sweden is perceived by those around them. Swedes living abroad are important ambassadors for Sweden because they can help to give us a more accurate picture of the country,”

– Swedes Worldwide Secretary General Cecilia Borglin explained. The results reveal that Sweden’s image is becoming increasingly divided abroad. While there was once unanimous agreement that Sweden is a safe, prosperous welfare state, there is now a growing camp of people who think that it’s not a place worth living in.

Besides growing crime, many across the globe are starting to see that migrants now represent a large group in society, and the threat of terrorism has increased.

One of Europe’s most modern countries is collapsing because of multiculturalism and mass immigration, Italian journalist Giulio Meotti wrote in a guest column published by the Israeli Arutz Sheva newspaper. Mr Meotti cites riots between rival groups across the country, violent armed attacks on police officers, the daily rape of women and the fact that teenage kids are joining the ranks of gangs. And they are often killed in the process, he adds.

The currently unfolding radical demographic change is supported by the state,” Mr Meotti writes, noting that in 1975 the parliament unanimously decided that Sweden should be a multicultural country. Back then, more than 40 percent of immigrants were Finnish. In 2019, 88 percent of immigrants came from non-Western countries and 52 percent from Muslim states. At the current rate, Swedes will be a minority by 2065, writes Mr Meotti, quoting Kyösti Tarvainen, a professor at Helsinki’s Aalto University.

Another consequence of this tranformation is that Sweden, once hailed for its low crime rate, now has a homicide rate well above the Western European average. Social unrest, burnt-out cars, attacks on ambulance staff and riots are recurring phenomena, and shootings are so common that they scarcely make the headlines.