Background The purpose of this study was to establish population‐based norms for the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire‐Head and Neck 35 (EORTC QLQ‐HN35) to be used as references to facilitate the interpretation of results from health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) studies of patients with head and neck cancer. Methods The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire‐Core 30 (EORTC QLQ‐C30) and QLQ‐HN35 were sent to a random sample representing the Swedish general population. Results The response rate was 69% (1504 participants of 2200 invited). The scores for the QLQ‐C30 were comparable to previously published reference values. The reference values for the QLQ‐HN35 were low, indicating few head and neck‐specific problems in the population. For illustrative purposes, we also compared these reference values to our previously published HRQOL results obtained from patients with head and neck cancer at diagnosis and from 3‐year survivors. Conclusion These new reference values for EORTC QLQ‐HN35 may be useful in future HRQOL studies.