Romani people in Sweden

In 2013, it was estimated that there were about 50,000 Romani people in Sweden.^[2][3] Romani people are one of the oldest ethnic minority groups in the country. They mainly live in Malmö, Stockholm and Gothenburg.^[1]

There are around 25,000 Romani in Sweden who descend from a wave of Romani migration to Sweden in the early 16th century. The rest of the Romani population consists of Romani migrants or Romani people who have descended from migrations that occurred since the early 20th century. Romani people are one of five recognized minorities in Sweden. The Romani language is also officially recognised as a minority language in Sweden. Despite this recognition in Sweden, the Roma remain one of the most marginalized communities in the country.^[4] Romani people have been discriminated in Sweden since at least the 20th century.^[5].

The first evidence of Romani presence dates back to 1512, when thirty Romani families arrived in Stockholm from Helsinki, Finland.^[6] Precise dates of Romani presence in Sweden are found in the Swedish Chronicle of Olaus Petri.^[7]

Many Swedish Traveller families were of Roma origin, specifically Romanisael. They travelled throughout Sweden without a permanent residence and many of them were not registered in the parish-based population registers. In the 1980s, the Swedish genealogists Håkan Skogsjö and Bo Lindwall, Södertälje, conducted groundbreaking research on how to trace Swedish Traveller families in historical sources.^[8]

Radio Sweden and the Swedish Television Network are broadcasting programs in the Romani language in Sweden.^[9]

Hate crimes and violence targeting the Roma community are frequent in Sweden. Anti-Roma sentiment in the country has led to feelings of fear, exclusion, and inferiority among Romani individuals. Additionally, this hostility has contributed to mental health issues within the Romani population in Sweden, including stress, trauma, sleep disturbances, insomnia, and depression.^[10]