Swedish Heart and Lung Association

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.

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

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

• Patient advocacy services
• CPR training programs
• Cardiovascular disease support
• Health community networks
• Non-profit healthcare organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockholm

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees providing access to support, knowledge, and activities for people living with heart, vascular, and lung diseases.
2. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individuals, monthly givers, tribute gifts (minnesgåvor), and honor gifts (högtidsgåvor).
3. Humanfonden Partnership: Partnership with Swedbank Humanfond where 2% of savings is donated to selected organizations including Riksförbundet HjärtLung.
4. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate donations and sponsorship partnerships with businesses supporting the organization's mission.
5. Product Sales: Sale of educational materials, training equipment, and study circle materials through the organization's web shop.
6. Research Funding: Support for patient-selected research that makes a difference for life and daily living with disease.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core 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

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Nine Research Pharmaceutical CompaniesmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Collaborative 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)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-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)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-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 HumanfondenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWhen 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)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on national cardiovascular strategy. Socialstyrelsen has taken steps to develop a national action plan for cardiovascular diseases, with input from Riksförbundet HjärtLung.
• Giva SverigecoreOthersMember 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)coreOthersOrganization'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)coreTechnology or IntegrationCollaborates 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)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCollaboration 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

Others

• 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

• Xx.com/hjartlung
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCO4sO7PHAyCrQT6BtTgYWvA
• Facebookfacebook.com/RiksforbundetHjartLung
• Instagraminstagram.com/riksforbundet_hjartlung
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/riksf%C3%B6rbundet-hj%C3%A4rtlung

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&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