Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sweden instead of Denmark, you would:
Health
live 1.8 years longer
In Denmark, 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 22.2% more likely to be obese
In Denmark, 14.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sweden, that number is 17.5% of people as of 2024.
be 32.3% more likely to die by suicide
Denmark has a suicide rate of 10.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sweden, it is 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 57.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Denmark, 5.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sweden, that number is 8.7% as of 2025.
be 29.8% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Denmark, 12.4% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Sweden, however, that number is 16.1% as of 2022.
make 18.0% less money
Denmark has a GDP per capita of $76,970 as of 2025, while in Sweden, the GDP per capita is $63,133 as of 2025.
Life
be 42.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Denmark, approximately 3.5 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 15.1% more on education
Denmark spends 6.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Sweden spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 19.5% more on healthcare
Denmark spends 9.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Sweden, that number is 11.2% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 56.0% less coastline
Denmark has a total of 7,314 km of coastline. In Sweden, that number is 3,218 km.
Safety
be 36.9% more likely to be murdered
Denmark has a homicide rate of 0.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Sweden, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 85.8% less strain on fresh water
Denmark withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sweden withdraws 4% as of 2022.
use 98.3% more electricity
Denmark uses 6,165 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Sweden uses 12,226 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 38.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Denmark, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sweden, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 16.6% less CO2
Denmark emits 4.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sweden emits 3.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: Denmark vs. Sweden
Sweden: At a glance
How big is Sweden compared to Denmark? See an in-depth size comparison.