Sweden

• The Instrument of Government, the main part of the Constitution
• Statutes, and the 'preparatory works' (government bills and committee reports) that explain them
• European Union law, which takes priority in its area
• Decisions of the Supreme Court, which carry great weight

• The Supreme Court (Högsta domstolen) for ordinary cases
• The Supreme Administrative Court for disputes with public bodies
• Courts of appeal and district courts, with a separate system of administrative courts

A law degree (about four and a half years), a traineeship at a court and then experience in practice. The title advokat is held by members of the Swedish Bar Association.

• There is no big Civil Code; the law is spread over many statutes.
• The preparatory works have an unusually strong role in interpreting a statute.
• Sweden has an ancient system of public access to official documents and a long tradition of ombudsmen.
• Courts do not strike down laws easily; the legislature has the main role in protecting rights.

Germany, France, Poland, Netherlands, United Kingdom

The University of Ottawa’s JuriGlobe database lists Sweden as: Civil law. It names the systems in order of importance.

The map colours a country by the first-named system, and shows both civil-law and common-law countries as “mixed”. It is a simplification, and real systems are rarely pure.

Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria.

• Swedish Courts (English pages)

Sources last reviewed: October 2026.