Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Sweden instead of Norway, you would:

Health

be 10.8% less likely to be obese

In Norway, 23.1% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Sweden, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 20.3% less money

Norway has a GDP per capita of $63,600 as of 2020, while in Sweden, the GDP per capita is $50,700 as of 2020.

be 82.3% more likely to be unemployed

In Norway, 3.7% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In Sweden, that number is 6.8% as of 2019.

be 34.6% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Norway, 12.7% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Sweden, however, that number is 17.1% as of 2018.

pay a 48.2% higher top tax rate

Norway has a top tax rate of 38.5% as of 2017. In Sweden, the top tax rate is 57.1% as of 2016.

Life

be 100.0% more likely to die during childbirth

In Norway, approximately 2.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Sweden, 4.0 women do as of 2017.

have 11.2% fewer children

In Norway, there are approximately 12.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020. In Sweden, there are 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

Geography

see 87.2% less coastline

Norway has a total of 25,148 km of coastline. In Sweden, that number is 3,218 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Norwegian Tax Administration, Skatteverket.

Sweden: At a glance

Sweden is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 410,335 sq km. A military power during the 17th century, Sweden has not participated in any war for almost two centuries. An armed neutrality was preserved in both world wars. Sweden's long-successful economic formula of a capitalist system intermixed with substantial welfare elements was challenged in the 1990s by high unemployment and in 2000-02 and 2009 by the global economic downturns, but fiscal discipline over the past several years has allowed the country to weather economic vagaries. Sweden joined the EU in 1995, but the public rejected the introduction of the euro in a 2003 referendum.
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How big is Sweden compared to Norway? See an in-depth size comparison.

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