Abstract The rare earth metal (REM) content in some of the apatite-bearing iron ore deposits in Northern Sweden has been studied. The results are presented in two groups. The first group includes 19 specimens with the percentage of phosphorus varying between 4.91 and 17.57, in which the rare earth metal content is as follows: Kiirunavaara 6,560 ppm, Malmberget 5,760 ppm, Leveaniemi 1,545 ppm, Rektorn 3,275 ppm, Haukivaara 5,295 ppm, Henry 5,210 ppm, Nukutusvaara 6,730 ppm and Lappmalmen 5,890 ppm. The second group comprises 44 samples from a drilled cross section in the Lower Hauki ore-bearing rock series. The correlation between the phosphorus and rare earth metal assays in the samples suggests that most of the rare earth content is associated with phosphate minerals. The rare earth metal content of the apatite-iron ores is between that of the Kola peninsula (USSR) apatites and the apatites in granite-pegmatites. The rare earth metal content in sedimentary and metamorphic rocks is commonly about the same as in the apatite-iron ore from Northern Sweden. The distribution of the rare earths suggests that the apatite-iron ores of Lappland are not of magmatic origin