Three demographic rates and the social reality they measure signify important, continuing changes in the Swedish family. As compared with the rest of the industrial world, the Swedish now have the lowest marriage rate, the highest non-marital cohabitation rate, and possibly the highest family dissolution rate. Contents of this article focus on the history of nuptuality in Sweden, the gradual replacement of marriage by non-marital cohabitation, and the high rate of divorce in Sweden. Particular attention is given to the sharp drop in the marriage rate that occurred in Sweden during the mid-1960s, the disinclination of Swedes to marry simply because a first or second child is expected or has been born, the Swedish "deinstitutionalization of marriage," the need for data on the break-up rate of consensual unions, and the high percentage of single parent families in Sweden. Because Sweden may have the highest rate of family dissolution in the industrial world, it is concluded that more research and public discussion about the possible personal and social consequences of current Swedish family trends is needed. (RH)