Swedish Iranians

Swedish Iranians

Svenskiranier ایرانیان سوئد
Arash Behrang Safari Janet Leon Laleh File:Mika Zibanejad.png Mika Zibanejad Nina Zanjani
Total population
(92,428 0.9% of the Swedish population (2012))
Regions with significant populations
Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö, Uppsala.
Languages
Swedish, Persian, Kurdish, Armenian, Azerbaijani (See languages of Iran)
Religion
Shi'a Islam, Non-religious, Christianity, Zoroastrianism

Swedish Iranians consist of people of Iranian nationality who have settled in Sweden, as well as Swedish residents and citizens of Iranian heritage.

There are approximately 63,828 people born in Iran living in Sweden today, as well as 28,600 people born in Sweden with at least one parent born in Iran. They are one of Sweden’s largest minorities, accounting for nearly one percent of the population.

The first generation of 5,000 Iranian refugees fled to Sweden in 1980-81, most of them were middle-aged, middle-class socialists who were opposing the theocratic regime or fleeing forced conscription during the Iran-Iraq war. Between 1980 and 1988 almost 20,000 Iranian citizens found asylum in Sweden. Many of them ended up living on welfare, despite their middle class backgrounds. But today second generation Iranian Swedes are over-represented in higher education and in high paying professions like dentistry and engineering.

About 60% percent of them go on to higher education – far more than the Swedish average (45 percent) or the average for other minorities (37 percent). Middle class Iranian culture – with its emphasis on education – may be part of the reason for their success. Becoming an engineer or a doctor is a mantra in many families. Abundantly represented minorities amongst the Swedish Iranians, like in other Iranian diaspora nations are Azerbaijanis, Kurds, Armenians and Assyrians.

Notable Iranians in Sweden

• Hanif Bali, MP and part of the party executive of the Moderate Party
• Mana Aghaee, poet and writer
• Minoo Akhtarzand, governor of Jönköping County
• Ali Arian, Commercial Property entrepreneur
• William Atashkadeh, professional footballer
• Farzan Athari, fashion model
• Ali Esbati, politician
• Jasmine Kara, singer and songwriter
• Arash Bayat, footballer
• Reza Khelili Dylami, politician in Sweden
• Arash Labaf, platinum-selling artist
• Cameron Cartio, singer
• Mohammad Fazlhashemi, Professor in History of Ideas, Umeå University
• Azita Ghahreman, poet, translator, writer, member of the International PEN
• Lina Leandersson, actress
• Hanni Beronius, beauty queen and Miss Universe Sweden 2012
• Janet Leon, singer
• Akira Corassani, UFC fighter
• Lasse Lindroth, comedian and actor
• Zinat Pirzadeh, comedian
• Reza Madadi, professional MMA fighter
• Trita Parsi, founder and president of the National Iranian American Council
• Laleh Pourkarim, singer-songwriter
• Sheri Nowrozi, singer
• Babak Najafi, film director, screenwriter, and cinematographer
• Daniel Rahimi, professional Ice hockey player
• Behrang Safari, Swedish international footballer
• Ilya Salmanzadeh, music producer
• Nima Sanandaji, scientist and author
• Nahid Persson Sarvestani, film director
• Maryam Yazdanfar, Riksdag politician
• Nina Zanjani, actress
• Mika Zibanejad, professional Ice hockey player
• Amin Nazari, professional football player
• Omid Nazari professional football player
• Eddie Razaz, singer
• Sean Banan, (real name Sina Samadi) singer and entertainer
• Mahan Baghdadi, youth football player
• Nima Tavallaey, Italian football journalist
• Parisa Amiri, television host
• Ramin Nouri, sports journalist
• Arash "Ash" Pournouri, music manager
• Farzad Nouri, comedian and radio host
• Zohreh Khoban, Swedish political scientist

See also

• Iran-Sweden relations
• Iranian diaspora