Official minority languages of Sweden
Finnish has been spoken in Sweden ever since the (then provincial) borders were drawn in the 13th century. Sweden has always had a significant migration to and from Finland. As the two languages belong to different language families it is easy to distinguish them, unlike the neighbouring languages Norwegian and Danish. The number of Finnish speakers in Sweden today has been estimated to over 460,000. Even though many current Swedes are of full or mixed Finnish descent, Swedish is the main language in practice for many bilinguals.
Languages of Sweden
In 2009, the Riksdag passed the Language Law (SFS 2009:600) which contains provisions concerning the Swedish language, the five national minority languages ​​and the Swedish sign language. Among its provisions is the general mandate to safeguard the Swedish language, the linguistic diversity in Sweden, and the individual's access to language.