Scandinavian countries did not establish successful profitable colonies (except perhaps Iceland, if you want to count that). It's ambiguous enough whether the a

Scandinavian countries did not establish successful profitable colonies (except perhaps Iceland, if you want to count that). It's ambiguous enough whether the average Briton really benefited from their colonial adventures: the Scandinavian peasantry clearly did not. Finland in particular was an impoverished backwater until the early 20th century.