Prior to the creation of the office of prime minister in 1876, Sweden did not have a head of government distinct from its head of state, the monarch, who traditionally held all executive authority. Louis De Geer, the architect of the bicameral Riksdag of 1866, which replaced the centuries-old Riksdag of the Estates, became Sweden's first prime minister in 1876. As of 2022[update], the prime minister of Sweden is Ulf Kristersson, leader of the Moderate Party. The list below contains statistics about the tenures of each of the prime ministers of Sweden since 1876.
Before 1876, when the office of prime minister was created, Sweden did not have a head of government separate from the monarch. The most-senior member of the Privy Council during the period of absolute rule was the lord high chancellor, whose role was similar to that of a head of government. That was most evident during the so-called Age of Liberty, from 1718 to 1772, when the monarch's powers were greatly reduced and the president of the Privy Council became the dominant political figure in Sweden.
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Name (Lifespan) |
Portrait | Term | Party (Alliance) |
Cabinet Parties |
Mandate / Election |
Monarch (Reign) | ||||||
Tenure | Time in office | |||||||||||
1 | Louis Gerhard De Geer (1818–1896) |
20 March 1876 – 19 April 1880 |
4 years, 30 days | Independent | L. G. De Geer | 1875 1878 |
Oscar II (1872–1907) | |||||
2 | Arvid Posse (1820–1901) |
19 April 1880 – 13 June 1883 |
3 years, 55 days | Lantmanna Party | Posse | — 1881 | ||||||
3 | Carl Johan Thyselius (1811–1891) |
13 June 1883 – 16 May 1884 |
308 days | Independent | Thyselius | — | ||||||
4 | Robert Themptander (1844–1897) |
16 May 1884 – 6 February 1888 |
3 years, 266 days | Independent | Themptander | 1884 | ||||||
1887a[§] | ||||||||||||
1887b | ||||||||||||
5 | Gillis Bildt (1820–1894) |
6 February 1888 – 12 October 1889 |
1 year, 248 days | Independent | G. Bildt | — | ||||||
6 | Gustaf Åkerhielm (1833–1900) |
12 October 1889 – 10 July 1891 |
1 year, 271 days | Protectionist Party | Åkerhielm | — 1890 | ||||||
7 | Erik Gustaf Boström (1842–1907) |
10 July 1891 – 12 September 1900 |
9 years, 64 days | Boström I | — 1893 1896 1899 | |||||||
8 | Fredrik von Otter (1833–1910) |
12 September 1900 – 5 July 1902 |
1 year, 296 days | Independent | Otter | — | ||||||
(7) [e] |
Erik Gustaf Boström (1842–1907) |
5 July 1902 – 13 April 1905 |
2 years, 282 days | Lantmanna Party | Boström II | — 1902 | ||||||
9 | Johan Ramstedt (1852–1935) |
13 April 1905 – 2 August 1905 |
111 days | Independent | Ramstedt | — | ||||||
10 | Christian Lundeberg (1842–1911) |
2 August 1905 – 7 November 1905 |
97 days | Protectionist Party (General Electoral League) |
Lundeberg AvF–LS |
— | ||||||
11 | Karl Staaff (1860–1915) |
7 November 1905 – 29 May 1906 |
203 days | Liberal Coalition Party | Staaff I LS |
1905 | ||||||
12 | Arvid Lindman (1862–1936) |
29 May 1906 – 8 December 1907 |
5 years, 131 days | Lantmanna Party (General Electoral League) |
Lindman I AvF |
— 1908 | ||||||
8 December 1907 – 7 October 1911 |
Gustaf V (1907–1950) | |||||||||||
(11) | Karl Staaff (1860–1915) |
7 October 1911 – 17 February 1914 |
2 years, 133 days | Liberal Coalition Party | Staaff II LS |
1911 | ||||||
13 | Hjalmar Hammarskjöld (1862–1953) |
17 February 1914 – 30 March 1917 |
3 years, 41 days | Independent | Hammarskjöld | — | ||||||
1914a[§] | ||||||||||||
1914b | ||||||||||||
14 | Carl Swartz (1858–1926) |
30 March 1917 – 19 October 1917 |
203 days | National Party (General Electoral League) |
Swartz AvF |
— | ||||||
15 | Nils Edén (1871–1945) |
19 October 1917 – 10 March 1920 |
2 years, 143 days | Liberal Coalition Party | Edén LS–S |
1917 | ||||||
16 | Hjalmar Branting (1860–1925) |
10 March 1920 – 27 October 1920 |
231 days | Social Democrats | Branting I S |
— | ||||||
17 | Gerhard Louis De Geer (1854–1935) |
27 October 1920 – 23 February 1921 |
119 days | Independent | G. L. De Geer | 1920 | ||||||
18 | Oscar von Sydow (1873–1936) |
23 February 1921 – 13 October 1921 |
232 days | von Sydow | — | |||||||
(16) | Hjalmar Branting (1860–1925) |
13 October 1921 – 19 April 1923 |
1 year, 188 days | Social Democrats | Branting II S |
1921[§] | ||||||
19 | Ernst Trygger (1857–1943) |
19 April 1923 – 18 October 1924 |
1 year, 182 days | National Party (General Electoral League) |
Trygger AvF |
— | ||||||
(16) | Hjalmar Branting (1860–1925) |
18 October 1924 – 24 January 1925 |
98 days | Social Democrats | Branting III S |
1924 | ||||||
20 | Rickard Sandler (1884–1964) |
24 January 1925 – 7 June 1926 |
1 year, 134 days | Sandler S |
— | |||||||
21 | Carl Gustaf Ekman (1872–1945) |
7 June 1926 – 2 October 1928 |
2 years, 117 days | Freeminded People's Party | Ekman I FF–L |
— | ||||||
(12) | Arvid Lindman (1862–1936) |
2 October 1928 – 7 June 1930 |
1 year, 248 days | Lantmanna Party (General Electoral League) |
Lindman II AvF |
1928 | ||||||
(21) | Carl Gustaf Ekman (1872–1945) |
7 June 1930 – 6 August 1932 |
2 years, 60 days | Freeminded People's Party | Ekman II FF |
— | ||||||
22 | Felix Hamrin (1875–1937) |
6 August 1932 – 24 September 1932 |
49 days | Hamrin FF |
— | |||||||
23 | Per Albin Hansson (1885–1946) |
24 September 1932 – 19 June 1936 |
3 years, 269 days | Social Democrats | Hansson I S |
1932 | ||||||
24 | Axel Pehrsson-Bramstorp (1883–1954) |
19 June 1936 – 28 September 1936 |
101 days | Farmers' League | Pehrsson-Bramstorp Bf |
— | ||||||
(23) | Per Albin Hansson (1885–1946) |
28 September 1936 – 6 October 1946[†] |
10 years, 8 days | Social Democrats | Hansson II S–Bf |
1936 1940 1944 | ||||||
Hansson III S–Bf–H–F | ||||||||||||
Hansson IV S | ||||||||||||
— | Östen Undén (1886–1974) |
Acting Prime Minister from 6 to 11 October 1946 (5 days) following the death of Per Albin Hansson. | Hansson IV S |
— | ||||||||
25 | Tage Erlander (1901–1985) |
11 October 1946 – 29 October 1950 |
23 years, 3 days | Erlander I S |
— 1948 1952 1956 1958[§] 1960 1964 1968 | |||||||
29 October 1950 – 14 October 1969 |
Gustaf VI Adolf (1950–1973) | |||||||||||
Erlander II S–Bf | ||||||||||||
Erlander III S | ||||||||||||
26 | Olof Palme (1927–1986) |
14 October 1969 – 15 September 1973 |
6 years, 360 days | Palme I S |
— 1970 1973 | |||||||
15 September 1973 – 8 October 1976 |
Carl XVI Gustaf (1973–) | |||||||||||
27 | Thorbjörn Fälldin (1926–2016) |
8 October 1976 – 18 October 1978 |
2 years, 10 days | Centre Party | Fälldin I C–M–F |
1976 | ||||||
28 | Ola Ullsten (1931–2018) |
18 October 1978 – 12 October 1979 |
359 days | People's Party | Ullsten F |
— | ||||||
(27) | Thorbjörn Fälldin (1926–2016) |
12 October 1979 – 8 October 1982 |
2 years, 361 days | Centre Party | Fälldin II C–M–F |
1979 | ||||||
Fälldin III C–F | ||||||||||||
(26) | Olof Palme (1927–1986) |
8 October 1982 – 28 February 1986[‡] |
3 years, 143 days | Social Democrats | Palme II S |
1982 1985 | ||||||
— | Ingvar Carlsson (b. 1934) |
Acting Prime Minister from 28 February to 12 March 1986 (12 days) following the assassination of Olof Palme. | Social Democrats | Palme II S |
— 1988 | |||||||
29 | 12 March 1986 – 4 October 1991 |
5 years, 206 days | Carlsson I S | |||||||||
Carlsson II S | ||||||||||||
30 | Carl Bildt (b. 1949) |
4 October 1991 – 7 October 1994 |
3 years, 3 days | Moderate Party | C. Bildt M–C–FP–KD |
1991 | ||||||
(29) | Ingvar Carlsson (b. 1934) |
7 October 1994 – 22 March 1996 |
1 year, 167 days | Social Democrats | Carlsson III S |
1994 | ||||||
31 | Göran Persson (b. 1949) |
22 March 1996 – 6 October 2006 |
10 years, 198 days | Persson S |
— 1998 2002 | |||||||
32 | Fredrik Reinfeldt (b. 1965) |
6 October 2006 – 3 October 2014 |
7 years, 362 days | Moderate Party (Alliance for Sweden) |
Reinfeldt M–C–FP–KD |
2006 2010 | ||||||
33 | Stefan Löfven (b. 1957) |
3 October 2014 – 30 November 2021 |
7 years, 58 days | Social Democrats | Löfven I[✕] S–MP |
2014 2018 | ||||||
Löfven II[✕] S–MP | ||||||||||||
Löfven III S–MP | ||||||||||||
34 | Magdalena Andersson (b. 1967) |
30 November 2021 – 18 October 2022 |
322 days | Andersson S |
— | |||||||
35 | Ulf Kristersson (b. 1963) |
18 October 2022 – Incumbent |
2 years, 36 days | Moderate Party | Kristersson M–KD–L |
2022 |