The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday announced the appointment of 1995 batch senior Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer Anurag Bhushan as the next Ambassador of India to Sweden.
Mr Bhushan is currently serving as Additional Secretary in the MEA and is expected to assume his new role shortly.
His appointment follows the earlier nomination of Neena Malhotra, a 1992-batch IFS officer, who was announced as the Ambassador-designate to Sweden in October last year. However, the MEA clarified that Malhotra was unable to take up the assignment due to family constraints.
Bhushan currently heads the Emigration Policy and Welfare (EP&W) division in the ministry. He recently co-chaired the India-Saudi Joint Committee Meeting on Labour Cooperation, underlining his active role in strengthening India’s international labour and migration policies.
About Anurag Bhushan
He has done his under graduation in Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and his Post Graduate programme from Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. He has also served as Regional Passport Officer at Ministry of External Affairs from 2010 to 2013.
India and Sweden Relationship
India and Sweden share a strong bilateral relationship built on shared democratic values, deep business and research linkages, and robust cooperation on global issues such as peace, security, and sustainable development. Since 2014, there has been a notable upswing in high-level engagements between the two nations, including 11 interactions at the Head of State or Government level, and 25 ministerial-level meetings between 2023 and 2025.
The Indian Embassy in Sweden plays an active role in organizing events such as the annual India-Sweden Innovation Day and ‘Engaging India’ at Almedalen. Sweden also reciprocates through initiatives like the Sweden India Nobel Memorial Week, which promotes bilateral business and academic exchanges.
The Indian diaspora in Sweden is estimated at over 88,400, including around 66,400 Indian nationals, many of whom are IT professionals, researchers, and students. Approximately 2,500 Indian students are currently enrolled in Swedish institutions.
In addition, around 22,000 Swedish nationals have been issued Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cards, reflecting deepening people-to-people ties. Numerous Indian cultural associations across cities like Stockholm, Gothenburg, Lund, and Uppsala regularly host festivals and events to celebrate India’s rich heritage.
Mr Bhushan’s appointment is expected to give further momentum to this vibrant bilateral relationship, particularly in areas of innovation, technology, and academic collaboration.
