Sweden has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 62 times since their debut in 1958, being absent a total of three times, in 1964, 1970 and in 1976. Since 1959, the Swedish entry has been chosen through an annual televised competition, known since 1967 as Melodifestivalen.
Sweden is one of Eurovision's most successful countries, having won the contest seven times as well as having reached the top 5 a total of 27 times. They have also made it to the top ten 43 times. Sweden's first Eurovision victory was in 1974 with the song Waterloo, performed by ABBA. Thanks to their victory in Brighton, ABBA went on to gain worldwide success, still being one of the best-selling pop groups of all time. As of 2015, Sweden has accumulated the most points in the Contest's history, leaving the United Kingdom in second place.
Since then Sweden has won in 1984, 1991, 1999, 2012, 2015 and most recently in 2023 with the song Tattoo, performed by Loreen. Sweden is the only countries with Eurovision victories in five different decades, and it is the only country to host it in six different decades (1975, 1985, 1992, 2000, 2013, 2016 and 2024). Since the introduction of semi-finals in 2004, Sweden has only failed to qualify once in 2010, when Anna Bergendahl was placed 11th in the second semi-final. They have also automatically qualified for the final more times than any other country outside of the Big Five.