Stockholm goes global with new positioning built on 30,014 islands

Stockholm is stepping up its international positioning with a new global platform that reframes how the city explains its competitive edge. Rather than promoting individual attractions, the Swedish capital is highlighting the underlying system that drives its global appeal.

Called 30,014 Islands of Possibilities, the platform is built around a structural fact: Stockholm is spread across 14 islands and surrounded by more than 30,000 more. City leaders say that geography is not just scenic — it shapes how the city works, influencing everything from innovation output to quality of life.

The approach comes as global competition between cities intensifies, with talent, companies and capital increasingly choosing locations that combine economic opportunity with livability.

Stockholm is currently ranked Europe’s most innovative region in the EU Regional Innovation Scoreboard 2025, and is one of the world’s most unicorn-dense startup ecosystems per capita. Officials argue that the same conditions that support innovation — openness, trust, education and access to nature — also drive long-term attractiveness.

– Cities today compete for people, ideas and investment. Stockholm’s strength is the complete package: innovation, openness and proximity to nature and the archipelago, all within the same structure. That is a competitive advantage we want to communicate more clearly internationally, says Staffan Ingvarsson, CEO of Stockholm Business Region.

The platform launches with a campaign film that follows Stockholm through its daily rhythms — from ferry commutes and waterfront innovation hubs to cultural venues and natural landscapes. The film shows how urban infrastructure and nature function as a single system, rather than presenting the city through traditional destination marketing.

Watch the film: Stockholm, 30 014 islands of possibilities

As part of its long-term positioning, Stockholm is also developing a Wellbeing Index together with CWWH (Center for Wellbeing, Welfare and Happiness) to measure quality of life alongside economic performance. The aim is to better understand how wellbeing, productivity, talent attraction and long-term competitiveness interact.

The campaign includes the hero film, supporting digital content, and targeted outreach to international media, investors, entrepreneurs and skilled talent. Distribution will roll out across key global markets through digital channels, media partnerships and strategic placements during the coming year.

Rather than presenting Stockholm as a destination alone, the platform positions it as a city where global competitiveness and quality of life coexist, a combination city leaders see as increasingly decisive in where people choose to live, work and invest.

Media contact

Alexander Grimsen
Head of Public Relations
alexander.adolfsson.grimsen@stockholm.se
+46 (0)76 122 80 38