Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sweden instead of Iran, you would:
Health
live 6.2 years longer
In Iran, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 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 28.7% less likely to be obese
In Iran, 24.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sweden, that number is 17.5% of people as of 2024.
see 7.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Iran spends $1,064 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sweden spends $7,770 as of 2024.
have 2.4 times more doctors per person
Iran has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sweden has 44.1 as of 2021.
have 14.9% more access to essential health services
Iran scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sweden scores 85 as of 2021.
be 3.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Iran has a suicide rate of 4.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sweden, it is 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 16.1 times more money
Iran has a GDP per capita of $3,924 as of 2025, while in Sweden, the GDP per capita is $63,133 as of 2025.
Life
be 75.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Iran, approximately 16.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Sweden, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 80.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Iran, approximately 10.3 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.
have 26.0% fewer children
In Iran, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sweden, there are 9.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 12.2% more likely to have internet access
In Iran, approximately 85.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sweden, about 95.8% do as of 2025.
Expenditures
spend 2.6 times more on education
Iran spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Sweden spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 86.1% more on healthcare
Iran spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sweden, that number is 11.2% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 31.9% more coastline
Iran has a total of 2,440 km of coastline. In Sweden, that number is 3,218 km.
Safety
be 89.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Iran, road accidents kill 20.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sweden, they kill 2.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.4 times more home broadband
Iran has 12.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sweden has 40.6 as of 2024.
live with 95.6% less strain on fresh water
Iran withdraws 81% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sweden withdraws 4% as of 2022.
use 3.2 times more electricity
Iran uses 3,815 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Sweden uses 12,226 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 84.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Iran, air pollution causes 51.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sweden, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 60.6% less CO2
Iran emits 9.1 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 (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iran vs. Sweden
Sweden: At a glance
How big is Sweden compared to Iran? See an in-depth size comparison.