The population of Sweden in 2003 was estimated by the United Nations at 8,876,000, which placed it as number 83 in population among the 193 nations of the world. In that year approximately 17% of the population was over 65 years of age, with another 18% of the population under 15 years of age. There were 98 males for every 100 females in the country in 2003. According to the UN, the annual population growth rate for 2000–2005 is 0.09%, with the projected population for the year 2015 at 8,983,000. The population density in 2002 was 20 per sq km (51 per sq mi). Approximately 80% of the population lives in the southern two-fifths of the country.
It was estimated by the Population Reference Bureau that 83% of the population lived in urban areas in 2001. The capital city, Stockholm, had a population of 1,578,000 in that year. Göteborg had a metropolitan population of 763,000. Other large cities include Malmö (242,706), Uppsala (181,191), Norrköping (82,639), Örebro (85,858), and Väster (98,233). According to the United Nations, the urban population growth rate for 2000– 2005 was 0.3%.