It was established in about 1870 from imports of cattle of Dutch Friesian or German Black Pied type.

From about 1970 it has been systematically cross-bred with the American Holstein-Friesian breed, to the point that the original Swedish type may be extinct.

Selective breeding in the 1940s and 1950s led to stock shorter in the leg and broader in the body than the original types.

[4] In 2001 the Svensk Låglandsboskap constituted 47% of the national dairy herd, fractionally less than the Swedish Red-and-White.

[7][6] In 2008 two breeds were reported to DAD-IS: the Svensk Holstein or Swedish Holstein, with just over 400 000 registered cows; and the Svensk Låglandsboskap or Swedish Friesian, with 100 registered cows and a conservation status of "critical".