ABSTRACT
For a long period of time Swedes were regarded as having a high standard of living. For many years, from the end of the 1970s, the annual OECD reports used to put Sweden at the very top. Sweden has also had an international reputation of having not only a high GDP but also an even distribution of welfare among its population. Equality within different spheres increased during the period from the Second World War up until the 1980s, because of ambitious social programs.
