If you lived in Sweden instead of Central African Republic, you would:

Health

be 95.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Central African Republic, 2.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Sweden, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2022.

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live 26.4 years longer

In Central African Republic, the average life expectancy is 58 years (56 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024. In Sweden, that number is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 56.9 times more spent on your healthcare

Central African Republic spends $137 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sweden spends $7,770 as of 2024.

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have 59.6 times more doctors per person

Central African Republic has 0.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sweden has 44.1 as of 2021.

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have 2.7 times more access to essential health services

Central African Republic scores 32 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sweden scores 85 as of 2021.

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be 60.2% more likely to be obese

In Central African Republic, 10.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sweden, that number is 17.5% of people as of 2024.

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be 50.6% more likely to die by suicide

Central African Republic has a suicide rate of 9.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sweden, it is 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 76.6% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Central African Republic, 68.8% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Sweden, however, that number is 16.1% as of 2022.

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make 113.5 times more money

Central African Republic has a GDP per capita of $556 as of 2025, while in Sweden, the GDP per capita is $63,133 as of 2025.

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be 39.0% more likely to be unemployed

In Central African Republic, 6.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sweden, that number is 8.7% as of 2025.

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Life

be 99.4% less likely to die during childbirth

In Central African Republic, approximately 692.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Sweden, 4.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 96.6% less likely to die during infancy

In Central African Republic, approximately 58.8 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.

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have 79.9% fewer children

In Central African Republic, there are approximately 46.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sweden, there are 9.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 5.7 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Central African Republic, approximately 18% of people have electricity access (37% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Sweden, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 6.9 times more likely to have internet access

In Central African Republic, approximately 13.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sweden, about 95.8% do as of 2025.

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be 2.7 times more likely to have access to drinking water

In Central African Republic, approximately 36% of people have access to drinking water (48% in urban areas, and 27% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Sweden, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 4.0 times more on education

Central African Republic spends 1.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Sweden spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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Safety

be 91.9% less likely to die in a road accident

In Central African Republic, road accidents kill 25.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sweden, they kill 2.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 2031.0 times more home broadband

Central African Republic has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Sweden has 40.6 as of 2024.

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live with 10.5 times more strain on fresh water

Central African Republic withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sweden withdraws 4% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 91.8% less likely to die from air pollution

In Central African Republic, air pollution causes 98.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sweden, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.

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emit 59.5 times more CO2

Central African Republic emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sweden emits 3.6 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

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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