List of Prime Ministers of Sweden
The Prime Minister (Swedish: statsminister, literally "Minister of the State") is the head of government in the Kingdom of Sweden. Before the creation of the office of a Prime Minister in 1876, Sweden did not have a head of government separate from its head of state, namely the King, in whom the executive authority was vested. Louis De Geer, the architect behind the new bicameral Parliament of 1866 that replaced the centuries old Riksdag of the Estates, became the first officeholder in 1876. The current Prime Minister of Sweden is Fredrik Reinfeldt, leader of the Moderate Party. Below is the list and statistics of Prime Ministers of Sweden since the creation of the office in 1876. The list does not include acting prime ministers, the only example to date is Östen Undén who served as acting prime minister from October 6, 1946 to October 11, 1946.
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[edit] List of Prime Ministers
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[edit] List of Prime Ministers under the United Kingdom of Norway and Sweden (1876–1905)
| # | Prime Minister | Took office | Left office | Party | Cabinet(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louis Gerhard De Geer (1818–1896) |
March 20, 1876 | April 19, 1880 | Independent | L.G. De Geer II | |
| 2 | Arvid Posse (1820–1901) |
April 19, 1880 | June 13, 1883 | Lantmanna Party | Posse | |
| 3 | Carl Johan Thyselius (1811–1891) |
June 13, 1883 | May 16, 1884 | Independent | Thyselius | |
| 4 | Robert Themptander (1844–1897) |
May 16, 1884 | February 6, 1888 | Independent | Themptander | |
| 5 | Gillis Bildt (1820–1894) |
February 6, 1888 | October 12, 1889 | Independent | G. Bildt | |
| 6 | Gustaf Åkerhielm (1833–1900) |
October 12, 1889 | July 10, 1891 | Protectionist Majority Party | Åkerhielm | |
| 7 | Erik Gustaf Boström (1842–1907) |
July 10, 1891 | September 12, 1900 | Lantmanna Party | Boström I | |
| 8 | Fredrik von Otter (1833–1910) |
September 12, 1900 | July 5, 1902 | Independent | von Otter | |
| (7) | Erik Gustaf Boström (2nd term) (1842–1907) |
July 5, 1902 | April 13, 1905 | Lantmanna Party | Boström II | |
| 9 | Johan Ramstedt (1852–1935) |
April 13, 1905 | August 2, 1905 | Independent | Ramstedt | |
| 10 | Christian Lundeberg (1842–1911) |
August 2, 1905 | November 7, 1905 | Protectionist Majority Party | Lundeberg | |

[edit] Prime Ministers under the Kingdom of Sweden (1905 – present)
| Portrait | Name (Born-Died) |
Term | Political Party | Election(s) | Cabinet(s) | Monarch (Reign) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Duration | |||||||
| Karl Staaff (1860–1915) |
7 November 1905 | 29 May 1906 | 0 years, 203 days | Liberal Coalition Party | 1905 | Staaff I LS |
Oscar II (1872–1907) |
||
| Arvid Lindman (1862–1936) |
29 May 1906 | 7 October 1911 | 5 years, 131 days | General Electoral League | 1908 | Lindman I AvF |
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| Karl Staaff (1860–1915) |
7 October 1911 | 17 February 1914 | 2 years, 133 days | Liberal Coalition Party | 1911 | Staaff II LS |
Gustaf V (1907–1950) |
||
| Hjalmar Hammarskjöld (1862–1953) |
17 February 1914 | 30 March 1917 | 3 years, 41 days | Independent | March 1914 September 1914 |
Hammarskjöld | |||
| Carl Swartz (1858–1926) |
30 March 1917 | 19 October 1917 | 0 years, 203 days | National Party | 1908 | Swartz N |
|||
| Nils Edén (1871–1945) |
19 October 1917 | 10 March 1920 | 2 years, 143 days | Liberal Coalition Party | 1917 | Edén LS-S |
|||
| Hjalmar Branting (1860–1925) |
10 March 1920 | 27 October 1920 | 0 years, 231 days | Social Democrats | — | Branting I S |
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| Gerhard Louis De Geer (1854–1935) |
27 October 1920 | 23 February 1921 | 0 years, 119 days | Independent | 1920 | G.L. De Geer | |||
| Oscar von Sydow (1873–1936) |
23 February 1921 | 13 October 1921 | 0 years, 232 days | Independent | — | von Sydow | |||
| Hjalmar Branting (1860–1925) |
13 October 1921 | 19 April 1923 | 1 year, 188 days | Social Democrats | 1921 | Branting II S |
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| Ernst Trygger (1857–1943) |
19 April 1923 | 18 October 1924 | 1 year, 182 days | National Party | — | Trygger N |
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| Hjalmar Branting (1860–1925) |
18 October 1924 | 24 January 1925 | 0 years, 98 days | Social Democrats | 1924 | Branting III S |
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| Rickard Sandler (1884–1964) |
24 January 1925 | 7 June 1926 | 1 year, 134 days | Social Democrats | — | Sandler S |
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| Carl Gustaf Ekman (1872–1945) |
7 June 1926 | 2 October 1928 | 2 years, 117 days | Freeminded People's Party | — | Ekman I FF-L |
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| Arvid Lindman (1862–1936) |
2 October 1928 | 7 June 1930 | 1 year, 248 days | General Electoral League | 1928 | Lindman II AvF |
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| Carl Gustaf Ekman (1872–1945) |
7 June 1930 | 6 August 1932 | 2 years, 60 days | Freeminded People's Party | — | Ekman II FF |
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| Felix Hamrin (1875–1937) |
6 August 1932 | 24 September 1932 | 0 years, 49 days | Freeminded People's Party | — | Hamrin FF |
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| Per Albin Hansson (1885–1946) |
24 September 1932 | 19 June 1936 | 3 years, 269 days | Social Democrats | 1932 | Hansson I S |
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| Axel Pehrsson-Bramstorp (1883–1954) |
19 June 1936 | 28 September 1936 | 0 years, 101 days | Farmers' League | — | Pehrsson-Bramstorp Bf |
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| Per Albin Hansson (1885–1946) |
28 September 1936 | 13 December 1939 | 10 years, 8 days | Social Democrats | 1936 | Hansson II S–Bf |
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| 13 December 1939 | 31 July 1945 | 1940 1944 |
Hansson III S–Bf–AvF–FP |
||||||
| 31 July 1945 | 6 October 1946 | — | Hansson IV S |
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| Tage Erlander (1901–1985) |
11 October 1946 | 1 October 1951 | 23 years, 3 days | Social Democrats | 1948 | Erlander I S |
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| 1 October 1951 | 31 October 1957 | 1952 1956 |
Erlander II S–Bf |
Gustaf VI Adolf (1950–1973) |
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| 31 October 1957 | 14 October 1969 | 1958 1960 1964 1968 |
Erlander III S |
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| Olof Palme (1927–1986) |
14 October 1969 | 8 October 1976 | 6 years, 360 days | Social Democrats | 1970 1973 |
Palme I S |
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| Thorbjörn Fälldin (1926– ) |
8 October 1976 | 18 October 1978 | 2 years, 10 days | Centre Party | 1976 | Fälldin I C–M–FP |
Carl XVI Gustaf (1973– ) |
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| Ola Ullsten (1931– ) |
18 October 1978 | 12 October 1979 | 0 years, 362 days | People's Party | — | Ullsten FP |
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| Thorbjörn Fälldin (1926– ) |
12 October 1979 | 22 May 1981 | 2 years, 361 days | Centre Party | 1979 | Fälldin II C–M–FP |
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| 22 May 1981 | 8 October 1982 | — | Fälldin III C–FP |
||||||
| Olof Palme (1927–1986) |
8 October 1982 | 28 February 1986[1] | 3 years, 143 days | Social Democrats | 1982 1985 |
Palme II S |
|||
| Ingvar Carlsson (1934– ) |
1 March 1986[2] | 27 February 1990 | 5 years, 217 days | Social Democrats | 1988 | Carlsson I S |
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| 27 February 1990 | 4 October 1991 | — | Carlsson II S |
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| Carl Bildt (1949– ) |
4 October 1991 | 7 October 1994 | 3 years, 3 days | Moderate Party | 1991 | C. Bildt M–C–FP–KD |
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| Ingvar Carlsson (1934– ) |
7 October 1994 | 22 March 1996 | 1 year, 167 days | Social Democrats | 1994 | Carlsson III S |
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| Göran Persson (1949– ) |
22 March 1996 | 6 October 2006 | 10 years, 198 days | Social Democrats | 1998 2002 |
Persson S |
|||
| Fredrik Reinfeldt (1965– ) |
6 October 2006 | Incumbent | 5 years, 231 days | Moderate Party (Alliance for Sweden) |
2006 2010 |
Reinfeldt M–C–FP–KD |
|||
[edit] Statistics
| # | Prime Minister | Date of birth | Age at ascension (first term) |
Time in office (total) |
Age at retirement (last term) |
Date of death | Longevity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louis De Geer, Sr. | July 18, 1818 | 57 years, 246 days | 4 years, 30 days | 61 years, 276 days | September 24, 1896 | 78 years, 68 days |
| 2 | Arvid Posse | February 15, 1820 | 60 years, 64 days | 3 years, 58 days | 63 years, 121 days | April 24, 1901 | 81 years, 68 days |
| 3 | Carl Johan Thyselius | June 8, 1811 | 72 years, 5 days | 0 years, 337 days | 72 years, 342 days | January 11, 1891 | 79 years, 217 days |
| 4 | Robert Themptander | February 14, 1844 | 40 years, 92 days | 3 years, 266 days | 43 years, 357 days | January 30, 1897 | 52 years, 351 days |
| 5 | Gillis Bildt | October 16, 1820 | 67 years, 113 days | 1 year, 248 days | 68 years, 361 days | October 22, 1894 | 74 years, 6 days |
| 6 | Gustaf Åkerhielm | July 24, 1833 | 56 years, 80 days | 1 year, 271 days | 57 years, 351 days | April 2, 1900 | 66 years, 252 days |
| 7 | Erik Gustaf Boström | February 11, 1842 | 49 years, 149 days | 11 years, 346 days | 63 years, 61 days | February 21, 1907 | 65 years, 10 days |
| 8 | Fredrik von Otter | April 11, 1833 | 67 years, 154 days | 1 year, 296 days | 69 years, 85 days | March 9, 1910 | 76 years, 332 days |
| 9 | Johan Ramstedt | November 7, 1852 | 52 years, 157 days | 0 years, 111 days | 52 years, 268 days | March 15, 1935 | 82 years, 128 days |
| 10 | Christian Lundeberg | July 14, 1842 | 63 years, 19 days | 0 years, 97 days | 63 years, 116 days | November 10, 1911 | 69 years, 119 days |
| 11 | Karl Staaff | January 21, 1860 | 45 years, 290 days | 2 years, 336 days | 54 years, 27 days | October 4, 1915 | 55 years, 256 days |
| 12 | Arvid Lindman | September 19, 1862 | 43 years, 252 days | 7 years, 14 days | 49 years, 18 days | December 9, 1936 | 74 years, 81 days |
| 13 | Hjalmar Hammarskjöld | February 4, 1862 | 52 years, 13 days | 3 years, 41 days | 55 years, 54 days | October 12, 1953 | 91 years, 250 days |
| 14 | Carl Swartz | June 5, 1858 | 58 years, 298 days | 0 years, 203 days | 59 years, 136 days | November 6, 1926 | 68 years, 154 days |
| 15 | Nils Edén | August 25, 1871 | 46 years, 55 days | 2 years, 143 days | 48 years, 198 days | June 16, 1945 | 73 years, 295 days |
| 16 | Hjalmar Branting | November 23, 1860 | 59 years, 108 days | 2 years, 152 days | 64 years, 62 days | February 24, 1925 | 64 years, 93 days |
| 17 | Louis De Geer, Jr. | November 27, 1854 | 65 years, 335 days | 0 years, 119 days | 66 years, 88 days | February 25, 1935 | 80 years, 90 days |
| 18 | Oscar von Sydow | July 12, 1873 | 47 years, 226 days | 0 years, 232 days | 48 years, 93 days | August 19, 1936 | 63 years, 38 days |
| 19 | Ernst Trygger | October 27, 1857 | 65 years, 174 days | 1 year, 182 days | 66 years, 357 days | September 23, 1943 | 85 years, 331 days |
| 20 | Rickard Sandler | January 29, 1884 | 40 years, 361 days | 1 year, 134 days | 42 years, 129 days | November 12, 1964 | 80 years, 288 days |
| 21 | Carl Gustaf Ekman | October 6, 1872 | 53 years, 244 days | 4 years, 177 days | 59 years, 305 days | June 15, 1945 | 72 years, 252 days |
| 22 | Felix Hamrin | January 14, 1875 | 57 years, 205 days | 0 years, 49 days | 57 years, 254 days | November 27, 1937 | 62 years, 317 days |
| 23 | Per Albin Hansson | October 28, 1885 | 46 years, 332 days | 12 years, 277 days | 60 years, 343 days | October 6, 1946 | 60 years, 343 days |
| 24 | Axel Pehrsson-Bramstorp | August 19, 1883 | 52 years, 305 days | 0 years, 101 days | 53 years, 40 days | February 19, 1954 | 70 years, 184 days |
| 25 | Tage Erlander | June 13, 1901 | 45 years, 120 days | 23 years, 3 days | 68 years, 123 days | June 21, 1985 | 84 years, 8 days |
| 26 | Olof Palme | January 30, 1927 | 42 years, 257 days | 10 years, 139 days | 59 years, 30 days | February 28, 1986 | 59 years, 30 days |
| 27 | Thorbjörn Fälldin | April 24, 1926 | 50 years, 167 days | 5 years, 10 days | 56 years, 167 days | Living | 86 years, 30 days (Living) |
| 28 | Ola Ullsten | June 23, 1931 | 47 years, 117 days | 0 years, 359 days | 48 years, 111 days | Living | 80 years, 336 days (Living) |
| 29 | Ingvar Carlsson | November 9, 1934 | 51 years, 112 days | 7 years, 19 days | 61 years, 134 days | Living | 77 years, 197 days (Living) |
| 30 | Carl Bildt | July 15, 1949 | 42 years, 91 days | 3 years, 3 days | 45 years, 94 days | Living | 62 years, 314 days (Living) |
| 31 | Göran Persson | January 20, 1949 | 47 years, 62 days | 10 years, 198 days | 57 years, 259 days | Living | 63 years, 125 days (Living) |
| 32 | Fredrik Reinfeldt | August 4, 1965 | 41 years, 63 days | 5 years, 231 days (Ongoing) | Incumbent | Living | 46 years, 294 days (Living) |
[edit] Trivia
[edit] Birthdays
- The earliest born prime minister was the third one to enter office, Carl Johan Thyselius, born on June 8, 1811. The latest born is the incumbent, Fredrik Reinfeldt, born on August 4, 1965.
- Of the prime ministers born in the 19th century, the last one to enter office was Östen Undén (acting) (born on August 25, 1886). The last ordinary was Per Albin Hansson (born on October 28, 1885). Östen Undén was also the last of the ministers to be born in the 19th century and Per Albin Hansson was the second last.
- Tage Erlander was the first one to be born in the 20th century (born on June 13, 1901) and he was also the first of the prime ministers born in the 20th century to enter office. The latest born in the 20th century is Fredrik Reinfeldt, who, being the incumbent, is also the latest one of the 20th century born to enter office.
- The highest number of birthdays have been in January and July (5 each), whereas there has been none in March, May or December.
- The shortest time span between two birthdays was the one between the birth of Fredrik von Otter (April 11, 1833) and Gustaf Åkerhielm (July 24, 1833) being 104 days. The longest span was between Tage Erlander (June 13, 1901) and Thorbjörn Fälldin (April 24, 1926) being 24 years, 315 days.
- 25 prime ministers were born in the 19th century, 7 in the 20th and none in the 21st.
[edit] Deathdays
- The first prime minister to die (who also happens to be the first one born) was the third one to enter office (Carl Johan Thyselius), who died on January 11, 1891. The latest one to die was Olof Palme, who died on February 28, 1986.
- Of the prime ministers who died in the 19th century, the last one to enter office was Gustaf Åkerhielm (died on April 2, 1900; the 20th century began on January 1, 1901). Gustaf Åkerhielm was also the last of the ministers to die in the 19th century.
- The first minister to die in the 20th century was Arvid Posse (died on April 24, 1901). The last one to die in the 20th century was Olof Palme (died on February 28, 1986).
- The highest number of deathdays have been in February and November (4 each), whereas there has been none in May or July. That makes May the only month when no prime minister has been neither born nor died.
- The shortest time span between two deathdays was the one between the death of Carl Gustaf Ekman (June 15, 1945) and Nils Edén (June 16, 1945) being 1 day. The longest span was between Östen Undén (January 14, 1974) and Tage Erlander (June 21, 1985) being 11 years, 158 days. However, since no prime minister has died since March 1, 1986 (26 years, 84 days ago), this will be surpassed the next time someone dies.
- The prime minister to die closest to his birthday was Gillis Bildt, who died 6 days after his 74th birthday.
- 5 prime ministers died in the 19th century, 22 in the 20th and none in the 21st (6 still living).
[edit] Age and longevity
- The oldest prime minister has been Hjalmar Hammarskjöld, who died at an age of 91 years, 250 days. Of those still living, Thorbjörn Fälldin is the oldest, at an age of 86 years, 30 days. He is the only still living prime minister who has made it into the "top 5 list" by surpassing Johan Ramstedt on August 31, 2008. He would have to live until January 2, 2018 to surpass Hjalmar Hammarskjöld and become the oldest Swedish prime minister ever (living until January 1, 2018, he would tie with Hammarskjöld).
- The youngest prime minister at his death has been Robert Themptander, who died at an age of 52 years, 351 days. The incumbent Fredrik Reinfeldt is currently 46 years, 294 days, so if he would die no later than July 20, 2018, he would become the youngest prime minister at death ever (dying on July 21, 2018, he would tie with Themptander).
- No prime minister has died before the age of 50 (Fredrik Reinfeldt would do so if he would die no later than August 3, 2015), 5 before the age of 60, another 8 before the age of 70, another 10 before the age of 80, another 8 before the age of 90, and another 1 before the age of 100. None has achieved an age of 100 years or above.
[edit] Time before, in, between and after office
- The oldest prime minister to enter office was Carl Johan Thyselius, who entered office at an age of 72 years, 5 days. The youngest one was his closest successor Robert Themptander, who entered office at 40 years, 92 days.
- The oldest prime minister to leave office was also Carl Johan Thyselius, at 72 years, 342 days. The youngest one to leave office was Rickard Sandler, at 42 years, 129 days.
- The closest two prime ministers have come to entering office on the same day of living was 22 days, which happened to Arvid Posse and acting prime minister Östen Undén (Posse being 60 years, 64 days upon entering office and Undén being 60 years, 42 days). The farthest apart two ministers have been at this coincidence happened to Carl Johan Thyselius and Fredrik von Otter, whose age difference upon entering office was 4 years, 216 days. If this record is to be broken, somebody would have to enter office either at age 35 years, 240 days or younger, or 76 years, 222 days or older.
- The closest two prime ministers have come to leaving office on the same day of living was 5 days, which happened both to Arvid Posse and Christian Lundeberg (Posse being 63 years, 121 days upon leaving office and Lundeberg being 63 years, 116 days) and to Felix Hamrin and Göran Persson (Hamrin being 57 years, 254 days upon leaving office, Persson being 57 years 259 days). The farthest apart two ministers have been at this coincidence happened to Carl Johan Thyselius and Fredrik von Otter, whose age difference upon leaving office was 3 years, 257 days. If this record is to be broken, somebody would have to leave office either at age 38 years, 237 days or younger, or 76 years, 235 days or older.
- The prime ministers to enter office closest to his birthday were Rickard Sandler, who entered 5 days before his 41st birthday, and Carl Johan Thyselius, who entered 5 days after his 72nd birthday.
- The prime minister to leave office closest to his birthday was Gillis Bildt, who resigned 4 days before his 69th birthday.
- The record for longest period in office is held by Tage Erlander at 23 years, 3 days. The shortest period in office is held by Östen Undén (5 days), but as he was only acting, the shortest ordinary period was Felix Hamrin's, lasting for 49 days. The incumbent Fredrik Reinfeldt surpassed Louis De Geer, Sr. and made it into the "top 10 list" on November 6, 2010. He would have to remain in office until February 23, 2017 to surpass Olof Palme and make it into the "top 5 list" and until October 10, 2029 to become the prime minister with the longest time in office ever (if his terms were to be consecutive).
- 22 prime ministers have served 1 term (not counting Östen Undén, who was only acting), 9 have served 2 terms and 1 (Hjalmar Branting) has served 3 terms. 22 prime ministers have had one cabinet, 5 have had two cabinets, 4 have hade three cabinets and 1 (Per Albin Hansson) has had four cabinets.
- The longest time span between two terms of the same minister was between Arvid Lindman's, at 16 years, 361 days between the end of his first term (October 7, 1911) and the beginning of his second term (October 2, 1928). The shortest time span between two terms of the same minister was 101 days, which was the time of Axel Pehrsson-Bramstorp's term between the end of Per Albin Hansson's first (June 19, 1936) and the beginning of his second (September 28, 1936).
- Two of the prime ministers (Per Albin Hansson and Olof Palme) have died in office and Palme is the only one who has been assassinated. Thus, those two have not had any life after office (not counting their interim periods between their respective terms). When it comes to those who have, Hjalmar Branting had the shortest time, dying only 31 days after his resignation (he resigned because of health issues and died from Myocarditis and Gallstone). The prime minister living the longest time after resignation was Rickard Sandler, who died 38 years, 159 days after his resignation. This record will be surpassed by Ola Ullsten if he is still alive on March 1, 2018 (Ullsten would then be almost 87 years old).
- The smallest number of former and present prime ministers living at the same time is 1, which has happened twice. The first time was from March 20, 1876 to April 19, 1880 (4 years, 30 days), when Louis De Geer, Sr. was prime minister. During that time, he was the present and since he was the first one, there was no former prime minister. The second time was from November 12, 1964 (when Rickard Sandler died) to October 14, 1969 (when Olof Palme became prime minister) (4 years, 336 days). During that time, Tage Erlander was the present prime minister and all the former ones had died. Thus, the time span when there has been only one prime minister alive at the same time has been 9 years, 1 day.
- The largest number of former and present prime minister living at the same time is 11, which has happened once. This period lasted from September 24, 1932 (the ascension of Per Albin Hansson) to February 25, 1935 (the death of Louis De Geer, Jr.) (2 years, 154 days). During that time, Per Albin Hansson was the present and former still living prime ministers were Johan Ramstedt, Arvid Lindman, Hjalmar Hammarskjöld, Nils Edén, Louis De Geer, Jr., Oscar von Sydow, Ernst Trygger, Rickard Sandler, Carl Gustaf Ekman, and Felix Hamrin. The current number of living present and former prime ministers (as of 24 May 2012) is 6 (Thorbjörn Fälldin, Ola Ullsten, Ingvar Carlsson, Carl Bildt, Göran Persson, and Fredrik Reinfeldt).
[edit] Family and relations
- Two prime ministers have had later relatives, who have also become prime ministers. Louis Gerhard De Geer had a son by the same name and Gillis Bildt's great great grandson is Carl Bildt.
- Hjalmar Hammarskjöld was the father of Secretary-General of the United Nations Dag Hammarskjöld.
- The prime ministers who have been married the most times are Carl Bildt and Göran Persson (both with 3 marriages). One (Ola Ullsten) has been married twice and two (Karl Staaff and Oscar von Sydow) were never married. The rest were all married once. However, Per Albin Hansson was married properly once, but lived together with a woman (with whom he had two children) without being married to her, for most of his adult life.
- Karl Staaff and Oscar von Sydow, who were never married, and Östen Undén, who was married once, were the only ones who had no children. The least number of children that any prime minister has had while still having some, is 1 (Carl Johan Thyselius and Johan Ramstedt), whereas the most number of children that any prime minister has had is 7, which 3 prime ministers (Erik Gustaf Boström, Fredrik von Otter and Felix Hamrin) had. Östen Undén was the only prime minister to be married without having any children. Per Albin Hansson is the only prime minister to have had children outside marriage (two outside and two inside).