Swedish Heart and Lung Association
The Swedish Heart and Lung Association (Riksförbundet HjärtLung) is a Stockholm-based non-profit patient organization, founded in 1939, serving roughly 2 million Swedes living with heart, vascular, or lung disease through CPR training, peer support, exercise programs, advocacy, and research funding delivered via local associations nationwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1943
- HeadquartersStockholm, Sweden
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Swedish Heart and Lung Association does
Riksförbundet HjärtLung (Swedish Heart and Lung Association) is a Sweden-based non-profit patient organization founded in 1939 and headquartered in Stockholm, with roughly 30 staff at the national level. It serves as the country's principal patient association for the approximately 2 million people living with heart, vascular, or lung disease, including more than 400,000 with COPD. The organization operates through a federated model of local associations (föreningar) across Sweden that deliver in-person programming, peer support, and certified CPR training through a network of roughly 250 HLR (CPR) instructors following HLR-rådet protocols, training approximately 3,500 people annually (17,700+ over the past five years).
Its core offerings include CPR and defibrillator (AED) training, digital and in-person exercise programs (medical yoga, qigong, light gymna via Microsoft Teams; a video library of training films), peer support services (Diagnosstöd phone support, Diagnosdukar visual aids, themed meetings on sleep/stress/loneliness), information products (Tidningen Status magazine, heart-healthy recipes, the Hälsans stig walking trail), the National Network for Cardiac Arrest Survivors and Their Relatives (~700 members on Facebook), and advocacy initiatives including the annual Hjartdagen with nine research pharmaceutical companies and the Årets hjärt-lungräddare life-saver award.
Revenue is generated through a diversified mix of membership fees, individual and corporate donations, tribute gifts (minnesgåvor) distributed in part through Swedish funeral homes, a Swedbank Humanfonden referral flow (2% of saver balances), web shop sales of educational materials, and research-related activity. The organization is credentialed through Svensk Insamlingskontroll oversight and Giva Sverige membership, collaborates with the Swedish Cardiac Arrest Registry and SMS-livraddare on AED mapping and volunteer mobilization, and maintains formal relationships with Socialstyrelsen on national cardiovascular strategy. Leadership is chaired by Anders Åkesson (named one of the most powerful figures in Swedish healthcare by Dagens Medicin in 2026), with Ulrica Sundholm serving as Secretary General and Jörgen Warberg as Vice Chairman.
Swedish Heart and Lung Association firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Swedish Heart and Lung Association
- Legal name
- Riksförbundet – HjärtLung
- Website
- https://hjart-lung.se
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1943
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Swedish Heart and Lung Association (Riksförbundet HjärtLung) is a Stockholm-based non-profit patient organization, founded in 1939, serving roughly 2 million Swedes living with heart, vascular, or lung disease through CPR training, peer support, exercise programs, advocacy, and research funding delivered via local associations nationwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Swedish Heart and Lung Association industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Non-profit Patient Advocacy and Health Support Services
- NAICS
- Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG)
Keywords
Where Swedish Heart and Lung Association is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Stockholm
- HQ country
- Sweden
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Swedish Heart and Lung Association business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Fees: Annual membership fees providing access to support, knowledge, and activities for people living with heart, vascular, and lung diseases.
- Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individuals, monthly givers, tribute gifts (minnesgåvor), and honor gifts (högtidsgåvor).
- Humanfonden Partnership: Partnership with Swedbank Humanfond where 2% of savings is donated to selected organizations including Riksförbundet HjärtLung.
- Corporate Partnerships: Corporate donations and sponsorship partnerships with businesses supporting the organization's mission.
- Product Sales: Sale of educational materials, training equipment, and study circle materials through the organization's web shop.
- Research Funding: Support for patient-selected research that makes a difference for life and daily living with disease.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Themed meeting materials cost 50 SEK plus postage for physical materials. |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels9 records
Swedish Heart and Lung Association product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Riksförbundet HjärtLung is a Swedish non-profit patient organization that provides CPR and AED training, peer support, exercise programs, and healthcare advocacy for people living with heart, vascular, and lung diseases. It operates through a nationwide network of local associations and digital platforms, serving approximately 2 million patients and their relatives in Sweden. Revenue is generated through membership fees, donations, corporate partnerships, and educational materials sales.
Product overview
Swedish Heart and Lung Association (Riksförbundet HjärtLung) is a patient organization offering a portfolio of health support services focused on heart, vascular, and lung diseases. The core offerings include CPR and defibrillator training (Hjärt-lungräddning) through certified local associations, digital and physical exercise programs (Träningsfilmer, Digitala träningsgrupper, Medicinsk yoga, Tematräffar), diagnosis support services (Diagnosstöd, Diagnosdukar), health information publications (Tidningen Status, Hjärtvänliga recept), and advocacy work for equitable healthcare. Additional services include memorial donations, corporate partnerships, the Hälsans stig walking initiative, survivor networks, and the annual 'Årets hjärt-lungräddare' award recognizing life-saving CPR efforts. The organization serves approximately 2 million people in Sweden living with heart, vascular, or lung diseases.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Hjärt-lungräddning (HLR) Training
Quantifiable outcome
- Approximately 600 lives saved annually from sudden cardiac arrest outside hospitals in Sweden
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Swedish Heart and Lung Association
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Swedish Heart and Lung Association technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Swedish Heart and Lung Association partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.
- Nine Research Pharmaceutical CompaniesmajorCollaborative partners in organizing 'Hjärtdagen 2026' (Heart Day 2026), an initiative to establish a national cardiovascular strategy in Sweden. These are research pharmaceutical companies working in cardiovascular health.
- HLR-rådet (Swedish Resuscitation Council)coreCo-organizer of the annual 'Årets hjärt-lungräddare' award recognizing individuals who performed life-saving CPR outside hospitals. Riksförbundet HjärtLung collaborates with HLR-rådet on CPR training standards and guidelines, following HLR-rådets protocols for all instructor training.
- Stiftelsen för hjärt-lungräddning i Sverige (Foundation for CPR in Sweden)coreCo-organizer of the annual 'Årets hjärt-lungräddare' award. The foundation works to increase knowledge about CPR and support efforts to save lives from cardiac arrest.
- Swedbank HumanfondenminorWhen customers save in Swedbank Humanfond, 2% of their savings are donated to organizations they choose, including Riksförbundet HjärtLung. This provides ongoing fundraising support through Swedbank's customer base.
- Socialstyrelsen (National Board of Health and Welfare)majorCollaboration on national cardiovascular strategy. Socialstyrelsen has taken steps to develop a national action plan for cardiovascular diseases, with input from Riksförbundet HjärtLung.
- Giva SverigecoreMember of Giva Sverige, the trade organization for fundraising and transparency in Sweden. Riksförbundet HjärtLung follows Giva Sveriges Quality Code and participates in the 'Tryggt givande' (Safe Giving) initiative.
- Svensk Insamlingskontroll (Swedish Control of Collections)coreOrganization's work is controlled by Svensk Insamlingskontroll which reviews compliance with rules for fundraising organizations with 90-accounts. Ensures transparency and proper use of donated funds.
- Svenska Hjärtstartarregistret (Swedish Cardiac Arrest Registry)coreCollaborates with the Swedish Cardiac Arrest Registry to map and register AEDs across Sweden. Goal is to increase the number of registered defibrillators to enable faster emergency response.
- Swedish Funeral Homes (Begravningsbyråer)minorCollaboration with Swedish funeral homes for distribution of memorial donation cards (minnesblad) at funerals, facilitating tribute gifts to Riksförbundet HjärtLung.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves2 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Swedish Heart and Lung Association competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- European Heart Network: Brussels-based alliance of national heart foundations advancing EU cardiovascular policy. Comparable as an aggregating body for heart patient organizations like HjärtLung, providing policy coordination rather than direct services.
Regional players
- Irish Heart Foundation: National charity in Ireland dedicated to heart disease and stroke. Directly comparable patient-support, CPR training, and advocacy focus, but smaller in scale and Ireland-only.
- Nasjonalforeningen for folkehelsen (Norway): Norwegian national health association addressing heart, lung, and dementia. Directly comparable Nordic peer offering patient support, advocacy, and research funding, but does not operate in Sweden.
Broad incumbents
- American Heart Association: US national nonprofit leading CPR training, cardiovascular research funding, and patient advocacy. Highly comparable mission and programmatic portfolio (CPR training, advocacy, lifestyle programs) though at far larger scale and US-specific scope.
- British Heart Foundation: UK national charity funding cardiovascular research and providing patient support. Directly comparable as a national heart-and-circulatory patient organization with research funding, advocacy, and CPR awareness, but operates at a much larger scale.
- Heart Foundation of Australia: Australia's national heart health charity funding research and running CPR/lifestyle programs. Comparable mission and program mix but operates at a larger scale and in Australia/New Zealand.
- American Lung Association: US national nonprofit focused on lung disease research, education, and advocacy. Comparable as a lung disease patient organization, though HjärtLung combines heart, vascular, and lung disease in one entity.
Emerging players
- COPD Foundation: US-based nonprofit focused specifically on COPD, which is one of HjärtLung's primary disease areas (400,000+ Swedes affected). They overlap in serving the COPD patient community but operate at a different geographic and structural scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Swedish Heart and Lung Association social profiles
Digital presenceSwedish Heart and Lung Association financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Swedish Heart and Lung Association leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Swedish Heart and Lung Association funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Swedish Heart and Lung Association M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Swedish Heart and Lung Association
What does Swedish Heart and Lung Association do?
Riksförbundet HjärtLung is a Swedish non-profit patient organization that provides CPR and AED training, peer support, exercise programs, and healthcare advocacy for people living with heart, vascular, and lung diseases. It operates through a nationwide network of local associations and digital platforms, serving approximately 2 million patients and their relatives in Sweden. Revenue is generated through membership fees, donations, corporate partnerships, and educational materials sales.
Is Swedish Heart and Lung Association a public or private company?
Swedish Heart and Lung Association is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Swedish Heart and Lung Association founded?
Swedish Heart and Lung Association was founded in 1943. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Swedish Heart and Lung Association based?
Swedish Heart and Lung Association is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, in the Europe region.
How does Swedish Heart and Lung Association make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Membership Fees are the primary driver. The others are individual Donations, humanfonden Partnership, corporate Partnerships, product Sales and research Funding.
Who are Swedish Heart and Lung Association's main competitors?
European Heart Network is listed as an others. Regional players are Irish Heart Foundation and Nasjonalforeningen for folkehelsen (Norway). Broad incumbents are American Heart Association, British Heart Foundation, Heart Foundation of Australia and American Lung Association. COPD Foundation is listed as an emerging player.
Does Swedish Heart and Lung Association have an API?
No public API is recorded for Swedish Heart and Lung Association.
What industry is Swedish Heart and Lung Association in?
Swedish Heart and Lung Association's product category is Non-profit Patient Advocacy and Health Support Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGACAG, Disability Services & Independent Living Support. Its NAICS code is 813212 and its SIC code is 8600.