Forests provide a diversity of non-wood forest products as a resource base for regional and rural development. The role of non-wood forest products differs in time and space. The aim of the study was to analyze the role of non-wood forest products in livelihoods, especially forest-dependent communities, in Ukraine and Sweden. 114 interviews with local stakeholders in two countries were done for this study. The results showed that (1) non-wood forest products have potential for economic rural development, (2) traditional practices of non-wood forest products utilization were retained and revived in Ukraine, (3) and were no longer economically but rather socially important for local people in Sweden. Non-wood forest products have great potential for sustainable rural development, as resources for economic development.