Indicators of health, health care quality and long-term care for the elderly in Sweden are among the best internationally. The Swedish health care system now faces the challenge of delivering high quality, user-centered and well-co-ordinated services, while coping with the pressures common to most developing countries of an ageing population, growing prevalence of chronic disease and budgetary constraints. Primary care’s role in preventing and managing the burden of chronic disease, and in co-ordinating care across services and providers, will be critical to meeting this challenge.