2 January – Swedish newspapers Kvällsposten and GT merge to form iDag.
3 January – ANC leader Oliver Tambo arrives in Sweden for treatment at a clinic in Stockholm following a stroke in August 1989 and the imminent closure of the London clinic he was at previously.[1][2]
7 January – A Swedish delegation heads to Bulgaria to assess whether it is safe for Bulgarian Turkish refugees to be returned. Following the 1989 expulsion of Turks from Bulgaria, 20,000 refugees had arrived in Sweden since August. The government decides to set limits and 1,000 refugees go on hunger strike in protest.[3][4]
16 January – The first of five court cases in 1990 for Björn Borg begins, facing an $82 million business lawsuit brought by Lars Skarke former business partner and managing director of Björn Borg Design Group.[8]
Björn Borg's libel case against Swedish satirical magazine Z begins. He sues the publication for $600,000 for alleging he abused drugs.[10]
A court in Uppsala authorises the confiscation of more clothes belonging to Mohamed Abu Talb, suspect in the Lockerbie bombing, for testing against those found in the wreckage.[11]
29 January – After going on a partial strike demanding a 21% pay increase, The Bank Institute Employer's Association (BAO) locked out 62,000 bank workers and closes the banks as part of the ongoing financial crisis.[13]
February
2 February – After South African President F.W. de Klerk announces he is legalising the ANC and other groups, Walter Sisulu in Stockholm with other ANC leaders visiting Oliver Tambo praise the decision but call for further progress including the release of Nelson Mandela.[14]
8 February
Prime Minister Ingvar Carlsson states that the economy is “falling apart” and that his minority government will resign unless parliament passes a ban on strikes and impose a two-year freeze on wages.
Finance Minister Kjell-Olof Feldt outlines the government's plan in parliament which includes a two-year freeze on local taxes, rents and stock dividends.[15]
15 February – Failing to gain the needed support of any opposition parties, the government's economic bill is defeated 190–153. Immediately after the defeat Prime Minister Ingvar Carlsson goes to the office of parliamentary speaker Thage G. Peterson to give the government's resignation.[16]
16 February
Finance Minister Kjell-Olof Feldt resigns from the day-old caretaker government, telling a news conference he did not have the political backing or personal will to scrap his plans and start over, instead choosing to step aside for “younger and better forces” to take his place. Odd Engström is announced as Feldt's replacement.
The bank employee's union and bankers’ association announce the end of their three week long labour dispute.[17]
Björn Borg and his wife Loredana lose their $40,000 libel lawsuit against Hänt i Vacken after the magazine alleged the latter was unfaithful.[18]
Speaker Thage G. Peterson informed the Riksdag that he asked Ingvar Carlsson to form another cabinet with a vote to be held on the 26th February.[20]
After a year of negotiations, Swedish car maker Volvo and France’s Renault agree to invest in each other’s companies in transactions worth $4.8 billion.[21]
Vasaloppet is cancelled for the first time since 1934 due to a lack of snow, 12,000 skiers including 1,647 from 27 countries had already arrived in Sälen to take part.[24]
13 March – Prime Minister Ingvar Carlsson and Nelson Mandela hold a two hour meeting and Mandela makes his first address to any parliament, the Riksdag.[28]
20 March – A treasury official confirms that starting in 1991 children will pay income tax, in an effort to curb parents using their child’s account as a way to avoid tax and as part of the Tax Reform of the Century.[29]
22 March – Sweden’s military is put on a higher state of alert after Lithuania declares its independence from the Soviet Union. President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev orders Lithuanians to turn in their weapons and a military convoy is dispatched to Vilnius. Gotland prepares for an influx of refugees should the situation escalate.[30]
28 March – After years of deliberating Skansen’s board decides it can’t afford the expansion of its elephant facilities to comply with new laws. Nika and Shiva, the elephants of Skansen are to be sold to another Swedish zoo or moved abroad sparking protests and public outcry.[32]
March – The Monday Movement, in support of the Baltic states independence from the Soviet Union, begins holding public demonstrations at Norrmalmstorg which continues every Monday for 79 weeks until September 1991 when independence was gained.[34][35]
7 April – A fire breaks out on the passenger ferry MS Scandinavian Star, 158 people are killed with the 159th victim dying two weeks later in hospital.[37][38]
9 April – A Swedish delegation scheduled to visit Lithuania later in the month has their visas blocked by Soviet officials with tensions remaining high after Lithuania declared its independence from the Soviet Union in March.[39][40]
10 April
A train derailment near Sköldinge, 60 miles southwest of Stockholm, kills 2 and injures 41. An issue with ATC and a signal beacon meant the train was going 80mph instead of the expected 25mph.[41][42]
Memorials for the victims of the fire on MS Scandinavian Star are held in Oslo, Norway and Lysekil, Sweden. In Lysekil where the ferry was towed to and the fire extinguished, work continues on the recovery of the victims as 126 have been brought off the ship.[43]
19 April – The government announces it will award at least 100,000 kronor to Christer Pettersson, the man acquitted of the assassination of Prime Minister Olaf Palme, for the 10 months he spent in custody.[44]
27 April – As part of its effort to expand its European production, Sweden’s oldest company Stora AB acquires West German company Feldmühle Nobel for 14 billion SEK, one of the largest acquisitions in Europe at the time.[45] Earlier in the month it acquired equal ownership of France’s Chapelle Darblay with Finnish company Kymmene.[46]
12 May – Tomas Robert-Naali sets a new record of 1:01:54 at the Göteborgsvarvet half marathon with fellow Tanzanian Nada Saktay finishing two seconds slower. Midde Hamrin a Swedish native living in the United States won the women’s race for a record equalling fourth time in 1:12:45.[50][51]
14 May
Swedish satirical magazine Z is ordered to pay Björn Borg $12,500 for defaming him after they reported he used cocaine.[52]
70 miles southeast of Karlskrona, Soviet tanker Volgoneft 263 and West German freighter Betty collide in the Baltic Sea with the tanker leaking 1,000 tons of crude oil.[53][54]
17 May – Katarina Church in Stockholm is destroyed by a fire leaving only the outer walls and crossbeams remaining. The church had suffered a previous fire in 1723 and was rebuilt and reopened for a second time in 1995.[55]
18 May – Air traffic controllers refuse to work overtime leading to the cancellation of 40 domestic flights and delays of up to 3 hours for international flights. They negotiated for higher pay for the extra hours arguing authorities had left them short-staffed when failing to anticipate increased air traffic.[56]
21–22 May – 150 diplomats, government officials and international law experts attend a two-day seminar arranged by Sweden’s Institute of Foreign Affairs on the topic of Baltic independence ahead of U.S. President George H. W. Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev’s summit.[57]
26 May – Left Party - the Communists (Vänsterpartiet Kommunisterna) members vote to drop the word ‘Communist’ from its name becoming the Left Party (Vänsterpartiet).[58]
16 March – The Royal Library in Stockholm publishes 42,000 letters left by author Selma Lagerlöf, that she requested in her will should not be made public until 50 years after her death.
Lundberg, Björn. "skbl.se - Aina Erlander". skbl.se. Translated by Grosjean, Alexia. Archived from the original on 30 April 2026. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
Melander, Ellinor (8 March 2018). "Birgit (Birgitta) Lilliehöök". Svenskt kvinnobiografiskt lexikon. Translated by Grosjean, Alexia. Archived from the original on 11 May 2026.
"Egil Holmsen". svenskfilmdatabas.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2 June 2026.
"Elsa Hofgren". Svensk Filmdatabas (in Swedish). Retrieved 6 June 2026.
Vintkvist, Jennifer (2 March 2020). "Aino Taube". Svenskt kvinnobiografiskt lexicon. Translated by Myers, Margaret. Archived from the original on 7 June 2026.
Landström, Lars (13 December 2013). "En mästares mästerverk". Allehanda.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 13 June 2026. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
