Sweden's 'If Crisis or War Comes': What It Asks Households to Do

Quick answer: Sweden’s brochure Om krisen eller kriget kommer (“If Crisis or War Comes”, now titled In case of crisis or war in English) asks every household to meet its own basic needs for at least one week without help. That means safe water (Swedish advice is 3–5 litres per person per day), food that needs no fridge, a way to keep warm, a battery or wind-up radio and some cash. The agency behind it was renamed the Swedish Civil Defence and Resilience Agency (MCF) on 1 January 2026, but the household advice is unchanged.

What the brochure is and when it arrived

Sweden has a long habit of telling its people how to prepare. The current brochure is the fifth version sent to the public. Earlier editions went out in 1943, 1952, 1961 and 2018, and the older ones were simply called “If war comes”.

On 8 October 2024 the Swedish government announced an updated edition. It said the security situation was the most serious since the Second World War, and that household preparedness is a cornerstone of Sweden’s total defence.

The printed brochure was delivered between 18 and 29 November 2024. The government put the print run at over 5 million copies, and The Local reported 5.2 million copies of a 32-page booklet. Versions in English and several other languages can be downloaded, ordered or listened to on the agency’s website.

What was new in 2024

Compared with 2018, the 2024 edition added sections on:

Total defence duties: what people are expected to do if Sweden goes to war.
Psychological defence: spotting false information and influence campaigns.
Digital security: protecting accounts and devices.
Air-raid protection: warnings, shelters and what to do.

The checklists and pictures were also refreshed. The tone is matter-of-fact, not alarming. Its message is that ordinary preparation makes the whole country stronger.

The 2025–2026 updates

There is no new household edition so far. The agency’s brochure and home-preparedness pages were last reviewed in late September 2026, and they still ask for at least a week. Here is what has changed around the brochure:

New agency name (1 January 2026). The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) became Myndigheten för civilt försvar (MCF), the Swedish Civil Defence and Resilience Agency. Its new remit treats war as the main threat to plan for, with a stronger focus on civil defence. Its advice now lives at mcf.se.
A brochure for businesses (January 2026). From 20 January 2026, MCF sent Preparedness for businesses – In case of crisis or war to about 130,000 workplaces with five or more staff. It covers crisis plans, backup systems, staffing, cyber security and drills. It goes alongside the household brochure and does not replace it.

What it asks households to do

The core idea is simple. If water, power, shops or phone networks fail, each household should cope on its own for at least a week. Then the emergency services can focus on people who cannot cope alone. MCF’s own message is “Do what you can!” It does not expect a perfect stockpile.

The agency groups the advice into a few areas. Water matters most, then food, heat and information, with cash and medicines close behind.

Area	What Swedish authorities suggest
Water	3–5 litres per person per day, in clean, sealed containers
Food	Food that keeps without a fridge or freezer and can be eaten cold or cooked with little or no water
Heat	Warm clothes, wool, blankets, sleeping bags; one warm room
Information	A radio that runs on batteries, solar or a wind-up crank
Cash	The Riksbank suggests 1,000 Swedish kronor per adult, in mixed notes and coins
Medicines	A month’s supply if you take long-term prescription medicine

Water

Krisinformation.se, the official crisis site run by MCF, suggests at least three to five litres per person per day. Over a week that works out at about 21–35 litres per person (roughly 5.5–9 US gallons).

Clean the containers well and fill them with good tap water.
Keep them somewhere dark and as cool as possible. Stored this way, water stays fresh for many months. Check it once a year.
If you are unsure the water is safe, boil it hard, with big rolling bubbles, before drinking.

For help working out your own amounts, see our guide on how much water to store.

Food

Pick food your household already eats and that needs no fridge. Swedish advice lists dry goods (pasta, rice, grains), tinned food, protein (beans, tinned fish), fats (oil, nuts) and quick energy (chocolate, dried fruit). Include things you can eat straight from the packet, plus food you can cook on a camping stove or barbecue outdoors.

Heat

A Swedish home cools quickly when the power fails in winter. The advice is to:

Gather everyone in one room. Hang blankets over the windows and put rugs on the floor.
Dress in layers, ideally wool, and keep sleeping bags and camping mats handy.
Consider a heater that runs on paraffin, gas or wood, and use it safely.
Take great care with candles and any other flame.

Information

Phone and internet services can go down. Keep a radio that runs on batteries, solar power or a crank. In a crisis, Swedish authorities use local P4 radio stations to share important public information. Keep a paper list of key phone numbers too.

Cash and payments

Card machines and apps may stop working. The Riksbank, Sweden’s central bank, recommends 1,000 kronor in cash per adult, in different denominations, to cover about a week of essential shopping. Krisinformation.se also suggests having more than one way to pay, through different banks or providers. Our post on keeping cash at home for emergencies looks at this in more detail.

Medicines, hygiene and other items

MCF’s checklist also includes:

A home first-aid kit, plus a month’s supply of any prescription medicine.
Torch and headlamp, spare batteries and charged power banks.
Matches, candles and tea lights.
Hygiene items: wet wipes, hand sanitiser, nappies and sanitary products.
A camping stove and fuel, ideally used outdoors.

What this means wherever you live

You do not need to live in Sweden for this advice to make sense. Storms, cyber attacks, long power cuts and water contamination happen everywhere. The Swedish list is a sound template for any household:

Aim for a week, start with three days. Many countries ask for 72 hours (see our post on the EU’s 72-hour preparedness strategy). Sweden’s week is a good next goal once you have the basics.
Water first. If your budget is tight, store water before anything else.
Plan for cold or heat. Sweden plans for winter. In a hot climate, plan for shade, fans and extra drinking water.
Have a non-digital backup for news, payments and phone numbers.

Want to know where you stand? See how many days your household would last with our free calculator. It turns your current supplies into an estimated number of days.

Checklist: a Swedish-style week at home

Preparing does not have to happen in one go. Add a little each week, and follow the advice of your local authorities.

Sources & further reading

Every fact in this post was checked against the sources listed above on 1 November 2026. Advice changes: always follow your local authorities.