About the East Sweden region

Östergötland - the East Sweden region is situated in the Southeast, approximately two hours south of Stockholm.  It has 416,000 inhabitants, which makes it the fourth largest region in Sweden. There is a marked concentration of residents in the central areas and a low population density in the northern and southern areas. The major towns have grown continuously over the past 30 years, while the population in smaller centres beyond the immediate vicinity of the towns has fallen.

The surroundings offer beautiful scenery including archipelago, coast, forest and flat country. The two largest cities, Linköping and Norrköping, are in the process of developing into one coherent, integrated urban region – Sweden’s fourth metropolitan area or the Twin Cities region.

The region possesses extensive and advanced know-how in several industries, such as aviation, engineering, telecommunication and soft-ware production. Several internationally well known companies, such as Saab, Ericsson, Siemens, Holmen Paper, BT Industries and Electrolux are based here. There are also large numbers of R&D-intensive and innovative companies that are spin-offs from Linköping University.

The extent and quality of communications and transport is of crucial significance for the economic development of a region. East Sweden has a good basic structure of roads, railways, air travel, ports and IT networks. The region is home to one of the Baltics largest and most modern ports, a well-developed road network - including the E4 European Highway, which passes straight through the region - and a rail network offering connections both to the continent and the rest of Scandinavia. The region lies on the Nordic triangle, the EU-prioritised transport corridor through Sweden between Stockholm and the Öresund region. The planned high-speed railway line, Ostlänken, between Stockholm and Linköping will greatly reduce journey times between both regions and open up new opportunities for daily exchange between the regions. The high-speed Eastern Link is a vital strategic development factor for the Linköping/Norrköping region. In addition, the region has two airports with international connections.


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