Does Vastu work in Sweden?
Yes. Vastu Shastra is organised around directions, which are the same in Sweden as in India, so its guidance applies to a flat in Kista or a villa outside Gothenburg. Two things stand out here. The compass points well east of true north, about 8° east in Stockholm and more in the far north, enough to move rooms near a zone boundary. And daylight swings further than almost anywhere people live: Sweden is a land of long summer evenings and short winter days, which shapes how a home is used, though not its Vastu directions.
What 8° does to a Vastu reading
A phone compass points to magnetic north, and so does any north arrow drawn from a compass reading on site. In Stockholm that is about 7.8° east of true north, the direction the classical texts mean. Each of the eight Vastu zones is 45° wide, so a reading near the edge of a zone lands in the wrong one. Four examples:
| Compass reads | Zone by compass | True direction | True zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19° | North | 26° | North-East |
| 109° | East | 116° | South-East |
| 199° | South | 206° | South-West |
| 289° | West | 296° | North-West |
So a kitchen your compass puts in the east may truly stand in the south-east, and a door your compass reads as north may really face north-east. VastuIQ corrects every reading for your town before anything is scored, using the World Magnetic Model.
From six hours of daylight to eighteen
No country VastuIQ covers has a bigger swing in daylight. In Stockholm the December sun is up for about 6.1 hours and only about 7° above the horizon at midday; in June it is up for 18.6 hours. These are measurements, shown next to the Vastu reading, not Vastu rules.
Daylight in mid-winter Daylight in mid-summer (out of 24 hours). NOAA solar equations, 2026.
Swedish homes, read correctly
The report uses the names on your plan and reads them the way a home here is built:
Vardagsrum, allrum, kök, sovrum, badrum, WC, hall, förråd, klädkammare, tvättstuga, arbetsrum, balkong and uteplats are read as living room, family room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, toilet, hall, storage, walk-in wardrobe, laundry, study, balcony and patio.
A "3 rok" (rum och kök) has three rooms plus a kitchen. The report reads every room on the plan, whatever the count.
A laundry inside the home is read as a utility room. A shared laundry in the building is outside your flat's outline and is not scored.
A storage room inside the flat is read as storage; a källarförråd (basement storage unit) is outside the outline and need not be uploaded. Traditionally best for heavy storage: South-West, South or West, where heavy storage is traditionally placed.
Read as outdoor areas. Traditionally best: North, North-East or East.
Your own front door is the main door that is checked, with its exact position (pada) on its wall, not the door of the building.
The midnight sun in the far north
North of the Arctic Circle, in Kiruna and Gällivare, the sun does not set for weeks around midsummer, and around midwinter it does not rise. Classical Vastu never had to deal with this. VastuIQ keeps the classical directions, which do not change with the light, and the report states the sun facts for your town plainly, including when there is no sunrise or no sunset at all. Even in Luleå, just south of the Arctic Circle, December has only about 3.1 hours of daylight.
Bostadsrätt, rental flats and the BRF
In a bostadsrätt, the housing association (bostadsrättsförening, BRF) sets rules for the outside, the shared parts and some changes inside, such as moving walls or plumbing. Choose Own it (building rules): the report leads with fixes that need no approval and marks anything structural as "If renovating". In a hyresrätt (rental flat), choose Renting and every fix is one you can make yourself.
New to Vastu? What it is, in brief
Vastu Shastra is a traditional Indian system of architecture and home layout, set out in Sanskrit texts such as the Mayamata and the Manasara. It divides a home into eight directional zones around its centre and suggests which rooms and activities suit which zone. Many Indian families use it when they buy, build or arrange a home, and so do people of other backgrounds who are curious about how a home is laid out.
Kept the lightest and least cluttered part of the home; a good place for prayer or quiet.
The zone traditionally linked with Agni, fire, so it is the classical place for cooking.
Linked with weight and stability; tradition places the main bedroom and heavy storage here.
It is a cultural tradition, not a science, and it does not promise outcomes. VastuIQ shows what the classical texts recommend, measured accurately for your home and your city, and you decide what to do with it. Most of the report's fixes need no building work: they are about how rooms are used and arranged.
Compass vs true north in Sweden
Across Sweden a compass points between about 5° (the south-west) and 11° (Norrbotten) east of true north. Your score uses the exact figure for your own city.
| City | Compass vs true north | Daylight, mid-winter to mid-summer |
|---|---|---|
| Kiruna, Norrbotten | 11.3° east | 0.0 – 24.0 h |
| Luleå, Norrbotten | 11.4° east | 3.1 – 23.1 h |
| Umeå, Västerbotten | 9.9° east | 4.3 – 20.9 h |
| Sundsvall, Västernorrland | 8.2° east | 5.0 – 20.0 h |
| Uppsala, Uppsala | 7.7° east | 5.9 – 18.8 h |
| Västerås, Västmanland | 7.3° east | 6.0 – 18.7 h |
| Kista, Stockholm | 7.7° east | 6.1 – 18.6 h |
| Solna, Stockholm | 7.7° east | 6.1 – 18.6 h |
| Sundbyberg, Stockholm | 7.7° east | 6.1 – 18.6 h |
| Stockholm, Stockholm | 7.8° east | 6.1 – 18.6 h |
| Södertälje, Stockholm | 7.6° east | 6.1 – 18.6 h |
| Linköping, Östergötland | 6.7° east | 6.3 – 18.3 h |
| Örebro, Örebro | 6.7° east | 6.1 – 18.6 h |
| Gothenburg, Västra Götaland | 5.3° east | 6.5 – 18.1 h |
| Jönköping, Jönköping | 6.1° east | 6.5 – 18.1 h |
| Lund, Skåne | 5.5° east | 7.0 – 17.5 h |
| Malmö, Skåne | 5.4° east | 7.0 – 17.5 h |
Calculated for 2026 with the World Magnetic Model WMM-2025 (NOAA / British Geological Survey) and NOAA solar equations. "East" means a compass points to the east of true north.
Check one home, or compare your shortlist
- Score out of 100 and its band
- Your top three issues
- True north correction for your city
- Every room scored, with no-cost and low-cost fixes
- Your floor plans with the zones at true north
- Centre, front door and pada
- Action plan, 90-day plan and checklist
- Two or three homes side by side
- Which home fits Vastu best, and why
- Plus the full report for the home you choose
Prices are charged in US dollars and your bank converts them; local amounts are a guide.
Vastu in Sweden: questions people ask
Does Vastu work in Sweden?
Vastu Shastra is organised around directions, which are the same in Sweden as in India, so its room-by-direction guidance can be applied to a Swedish flat or house. What matters is correcting the compass and reading Swedish rooms properly. Vastu is a tradition; it does not promise outcomes.
How far off is a compass in Stockholm, Gothenburg or Malmö?
About 8° east in Stockholm, 5° east in Gothenburg, 5° east in Malmö, 10° east in Umeå and 11° east in Kiruna (World Magnetic Model). Vastu uses true north, so VastuIQ corrects every reading for your city.
Does the midnight sun change Vastu?
No. Vastu follows directions, and north, east, south and west do not change with the season. The report shows the sun facts for your town, including the midnight sun and the polar night in the far north, separately from the Vastu reading.
Can I upload a plan from Hemnet or a broker?
Yes. Save the planlösning image or PDF from the listing and upload it. Swedish room names are understood, and listing plans often have no north arrow, so turn the arrow on screen to match the building on a map.
Can I use Vastu in a rental flat?
Yes. Choose "Renting" and the report leads with fixes that need no building work and no landlord approval: how rooms are used, where furniture goes, colours, lighting and keeping zones clear.
Can I compare flats before a bidding round?
Yes. Use Compare 2–3 homes: the side-by-side comparison is free, and Home Buyer Compare (US$79, about SEK 781) adds a PDF that ranks the homes and includes the full report for the one you choose.
Vastu for homes in other countries
Written by Manoj Jangra, founder of VastuIQ. Last updated 20 October 2026.
Vastu Shastra is a traditional and cultural practice. VastuIQ reports are not engineering, legal, financial or medical advice and do not promise any outcome.