This article covers the cultural, academic and people-to-people links between India and Sweden, and the Indian community living in Sweden. It includes historical connections, cultural events, university partnerships, sporting and film exchanges, and the size and profile of the diaspora. It is based on the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) bilateral brief of May 2026, and figures are as of that brief.

According to the MEA brief of May 2026, Rabindranath Tagore became the first non-European to be awarded the Nobel Prize, for Literature, in 1913. The brief adds that over the last century a number of other distinguished Indian nationals and persons of Indian origin have won the Nobel Prize in different categories.

Tagore's links with Sweden recur through the brief. King Gustav V, great grandfather of HM King Carl XVI Gustaf, received Tagore during his visit to Sweden in 1926. Earlier, Prince Wilhelm visited Kolkata in 1912 and met the Tagore family. A special stamp on Rabindranath Tagore was issued in Sweden in 1973, and in 2014 a bust of Tagore was installed in the university town of Uppsala to mark 100 years since the award of the Nobel Prize to him.

The Helgö Buddha

In the mid-1950s, a small bronze statuette of Buddha seated on a lotus was discovered during an excavation of an old Viking settlement on the island of Helgö on Lake Mällaren, west of Stockholm. Popularly known as the 'Helgö Buddha', the statuette is dated to around 1,400 years ago and is thought to be from Kashmir. In 2015 the Swedish Post issued a special stamp on the Helgö Buddha.

Arts, yoga and Ayurveda

The brief states that Indian classical arts, especially music and dance, are widely appreciated in Sweden, and that Yoga and Ayurveda are popular among Swedes. The International Day of Yoga is celebrated across several Swedish cities. A day-long Ayurveda Seminar organised in February 2022 was joined by around 70 Ayurveda practitioners from Sweden.

Namaste Stockholm

'Namaste Stockholm' is an annual open-air, day-long cultural event supported by the Embassy of India. The brief estimates that it attracts around 15-20,000 visitors. The 2025 edition was inaugurated by Sweden's Culture Minister, Ms. Parisa Liljestrand.

Film and sport

Swedish filmmaker Levan Akin's film Crossing won the ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi Medal at the 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa on November 28, 2024. The brief says the award recognised the film's exploration of peace, non-violence and the promotion of human rights.

The Indian Davis Cup team visited Sweden in September 2024 for a World Group I tie. The Special Olympics Bharat Boys' Team won the Gothia Cup 2025 in Gothenburg, defeating Poland 3-1 in the final; the brief notes that this was a consecutive win for the team at the tournament.

Academic cooperation

The brief records ongoing research linkages between academic institutions and universities in the two countries. It names the following institutions as examples:

  • On the Swedish side: KTH (Royal Institute of Technology), Karlstad University, Uppsala University, Blekinge Institute of Technology and Linkoping University.
  • On the Indian side: IIT Chennai, IIT Guwahati, Vellore Institute of Technology, Central University of Gujarat, Gandhinagar, and BHU Varanasi.

Academic Chairs on Indian studies have been established in the past at the Swedish universities of Lund, Gothenburg and Uppsala. The brief notes that Indology studies at Uppsala University date back nearly 200 years.

In September 2024, a delegation of the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA), led by its Chairperson Mr. K. Rajaraman, visited Sweden to promote opportunities for Swedish and Nordic universities to explore setting up international branch campuses at GIFT IFSC.

Indian students

The brief says there is a large number of Indian researchers and students in Sweden. As of the brief, there are an estimated 2,500 Indian students in the country.

The Indian community in Sweden

According to the brief, the Indian diaspora in Sweden is estimated to be over 88,400, including around 66,400 Indian nationals. Most are professionals, predominantly in the IT sector.

There are a number of Indian cultural associations in Sweden. The brief names associations based in Stockholm, Gothenberg, Uppsala, Lund, Malmö, Umeå, Kiruna, Helsingborg and Västerås, among others.

Two Swedish nationals of Indian origin have received the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman so far:

  • Late Shri Bicky Chakraborty (2008)
  • Dr. Sanjeevi Karani (2017)