Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sweden instead of Belgium, you would:
Health
live 1.8 years longer
In Belgium, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Sweden, that number is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.
be 16.0% less likely to be obese
In Belgium, 20.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sweden, that number is 17.5% of people as of 2024.
have 23.3% more doctors per person
Belgium has 35.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sweden has 44.1 as of 2021.
be 24.6% less likely to die by suicide
Belgium has a suicide rate of 18.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sweden, it is 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 47.0% more likely to be unemployed
In Belgium, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sweden, that number is 8.7% as of 2025.
be 30.9% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Belgium, 12.3% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Sweden, however, that number is 16.1% as of 2022.
Life
be 35.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Belgium, approximately 3.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Sweden, on the other hand, 2.0 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 16.6% more on education
Belgium spends 6.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Sweden spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 48.4 times more coastline
Belgium has a total of 66 km of coastline. In Sweden, that number is 3,218 km.
Safety
be 18.1% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Belgium, 62% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2021. In Sweden, that number is 73% as of 2022.
be 54.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Belgium, road accidents kill 4.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sweden, they kill 2.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 93.2% less strain on fresh water
Belgium withdraws 53% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sweden withdraws 4% as of 2022.
use 72.2% more electricity
Belgium uses 7,099 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Sweden uses 12,226 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 46.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Belgium, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sweden, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 51.2% less CO2
Belgium emits 7.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sweden emits 3.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Belgium vs. Sweden
Sweden: At a glance
How big is Sweden compared to Belgium? See an in-depth size comparison.