While we at The Local remain firmly convinced that Swedes make very warm and genuine friends once you get to know them, we admit it can sometimes be a bit of a challenge to make it that far.
After all, a global quality of life survey earlier this year found that although Sweden was the top country in Europe for expats – it failed spectacularly on being a good place to find new friends.
“When people find out I'm Australian they try to make small talk with me, but they really struggle. They speak good English, it's just that they don't know what to say,” one expat told us at the time.
READ ALSO: How to make friends in Sweden
Now, a fresh survey has listed the Swedish regions where the most anti-social Swedes live.
The Public Health Agency of Sweden's (Folkhälsomyndigheten) national public health survey found that one in five Swedes had a poor social life, taking part in few society meetings, parties and family gatherings, according to news bureau Siren.
The least social Swedes lived in the picturesque north-western region of Dalarna, home to the Dala horse and the annual Vasaloppet Nordic skiing race. It was closely followed by Jämtland county in the north and Kalmar in the south-east.
If you want a friendly and social night out, however, the people in the university town of Uppsala, Halland county in the south-west and the capital Stockholm were the most likely to tag along.
The survey also found that Swedish women were generally more social than their male equivalents, with 21 percent of men participating in few social events compared to 19 percent of women.
Low social participation 2012-2015
1. Dalarna: 26 percent
2. Jämtland: 24 percent
3. Kalmar: 23 percent
4. Gävleborg: 23 percent
5. Västernorrland: 23 percent
6. Blekinge: 22 percent
7. Värmland: 22 percent
8. Örebro: 22 percent
9. Västmanland: 22 percent
10. Norrbotten: 22 percent
11. Södermanland: 21 percent
12. Västerbotten: 21 percent
13. Östergötland: 20 percent
14. Jönköping: 20 percent
15. Kronoberg: 20 percent
16. Gotland: 20 percent
17. Skåne: 20 percent
18. Västra Götaland: 20 percent
19. Stockholm: 18 percent
20. Halland: 18 percent
21. Uppsala: 17 percent
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