Sweden has one of Europe's highest levels of heat pump utilisation. The aim of this paper is to give a comprehensive review of heat pump developments in Sweden since the 1970s. The review includes market, energy system, policy & institutional and technological-industrial contexts. A rapid expansion of heat pumps in Sweden was preceded by a two-decade period of industrial and entrepreneurial activity, academic research and government agency & electric utility interventions. The industrial context, electric utility support, academic continuity and technological-institutional alignment have contributed positively to the utilisation of heat pumps in Sweden. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.