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Naturism in Sweden: laws and customs

Updated October 24, 2026

Naturism in Sweden: laws and customs

In Sweden nudity is not a crime: police say you can swim naked on any beach if you're not doing it to bother anyone. There are around 80 nude bathing spots, but young people are shyer than before.

At a glance

  • Official naturist beaches and areasAround 80 nude bathing spots, some signposted by municipalities or landowners
  • Naturist staysAllowed
  • Unofficial naturist beachesLegal; many nude bathing spots grew up spontaneously
  • Naked in nature, away from peopleLegal; a tradition of nude bathing
  • Regular beach, townLegal if you don't mean to bother anyone; complaints and a fine possible
  • Local bansNot verified
  • ToplessAllowed even in public swimming pools; less practised than it used to be
  • Sauna without swimwearMixed habits: preferred by older people and in the south
  • LGBTQ+ travellersNo legal risk

One of the most permissive laws and a tradition of nude bathing and saunas, but young people are shyer and complaints arise near families.

What the law says

In Sweden no law bans being naked in public. The Criminal Code punishes two things:

  • Sexual harassment (sexuellt ofredande, ch. 6, § 10): anyone who exposes themselves to another person "in a way likely to cause them discomfort", or otherwise violates their sexual integrity, risks a fine or up to 2 years in prison; more if the victim is under 15 (Riksdagen, Brottsbalk).
  • Disorderly conduct (förargelseväckande beteende, ch. 16, § 16): anyone who behaves in public in a way "likely to cause public offence" only gets a fine (same source).

For a police lawyer, in 2024, swimming naked "is not illegal in itself", but it can fall under the second case (Sveriges Radio).

Photos: it is a crime to secretly film someone at home, in a bathroom, in a changing room or a similar place (a fine or up to 2 years in prison, ch. 4, § 6 a). The rule does not cover outdoor beaches (Riksdagen, Brottsbalk).

Where you can be naked

  • Anywhere, in theory: according to the police, "in Sweden you are allowed to swim naked on whatever beach you like, as long as you're not doing it to bother someone else" (Jönköpings-Posten).
  • Nude bathing spots: Sweden has around 80. Some are split between men and women, others are mixed (traditionally called naturistbad). Some are "official", meaning signposted by the municipality or the landowner, others grew up spontaneously (Östersunds-Posten).
  • Naturist stays: you'll find them in the list of naturist stays in Sweden.

Tolerated beaches and bans

Reports to the police about nude bathers are rare (Jönköpings-Posten). Problems arise when naturists can be seen near homes or family beaches:

  • in Gagnef, in Dalarna, in 2025 naturists had rented a stretch of beach on Lake Bästen with the landowners' permission. Neighbours collected signatures to get them moved ("I've met many people who don't dare go there") (Sveriges Radio);
  • in Traryd, in Småland, in 2022 a father complained because his children had come across a naked man on the municipal beach; the police replied that "it depends" (Smålänningen).

It is not clear whether any municipality has its own rules banning or allowing nude bathing on particular beaches.

Topless, towns and saunas

  • Topless: in 2016 the anti-discrimination authority ruled that a Stockholm municipality had discriminated against an intergender person removed from a swimming pool for being topless. The municipality dropped the requirement to cover the chest for anyone who "is or appears to be a woman", and pools that impose it risk criticism from the authority (Svenska Dagbladet / TT).
  • In town: nudity in itself is not a crime, but anyone who causes public offence can be fined (see above).
  • Sauna: in a 2025 Sifo survey, 21% of Swedes want everyone to be naked in the sauna, 13% want everyone to be dressed. Nudity is more popular with age (32% among over-65s, 14% among 16-29-year-olds) and in the south of the country (32%) (Svenskt Trä).

The local mood

In Sweden skinny-dipping and the sauna are a tradition, and the police don't intervene unless there is an intention to disturb. It is one of the least religious countries in the world (Pew Research Center), and online opinion remains mostly tolerant: several people recall that naked children and going topless on the beach used to be normal (Reddit r/sweden).

The practice, however, is shrinking. Young people are more modest: 32% of over-65s want everyone to be naked in the sauna, but only 14% of 16-29-year-olds (Svenskt Trä, 2025). And where naturists are visible near homes or family beaches, local protests arise.

Naturist associations

The national federation that is a member of the INF-FNI, the international federation, is Sveriges Naturistförbund (INF-FNI), with regional associations such as Naturister i Dalarna. We don't know whether venues ask for a membership card: it's best to ask beforehand.

LGBTQ+ travellers

No legal risk: same-sex relations have been legal since 1944, the Constitution has protected sexual orientation since 2011, and there have been hate crime laws since 2010 (ILGA World Database). Marriage is gender-neutral: "the two who marry become spouses" (Riksdagen, Äktenskapsbalk).

This guide sums up laws and customs as we checked them on the date shown, citing the sources. It is not legal advice: rules can change.