Five myths about Sweden

Yes, Swedes eat a lot of meatballs and equip their homes with IKEA furniture. Many drive Volvos and listen to ABBA. But there are some cliches about the Swedes that are simply wrong.

MYTH 1: ALL SWEDES ARE BLOND
There are still plenty of fair-haired people on the streets of Stockholm, but immigration from the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia is rapidly changing the makeup of the nation. About 1.5 million of Sweden's nearly 10 million inhabitants were born in another country. Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt has immigrant roots; his great-great grandfather was an African-American circus artist.

MYTH 2: SWEDES ARE SOCIALISTS AND PAY THE WORLD'S HIGHEST TAXES
Sweden no longer looks like the bloated nanny state it was in the 1970s and '80s. Sweden still has a relatively generous welfare system and taxes still account for about half of the economy, but neighboring Denmark's tax rates are even higher.

MYTH 3: SWEDEN HAS THE WORLD'S HIGHEST SUICIDE RATE
That's never been true, though Sweden ranked high in suicide surveys about 50 years ago. Contrary to common belief, suicides are more common in summertime than during the cold and dark winters.

MYTH 4: SWEDEN IS A NEUTRAL COUNTRY
By staying out of military alliances, Sweden successfully avoided being dragged into both world wars of the 20th century.

MYTH 5: THE SWEDISH SIN
For some, Sweden is synonymous with unbridled sexual lust. That reputation stems in part from sexually explicit Swedish movies that drew international attention in the 1960s and the country's unusual prostitution law, which outlaws buying sex but not selling it.