Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sweden instead of Ireland, you would:
Health
live 1.0 years longer
In Ireland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 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 37.2% less likely to be obese
In Ireland, 27.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sweden, that number is 17.5% of people as of 2024.
have 13.8% more doctors per person
Ireland has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sweden has 44.1 as of 2021.
see 11.4% less spent on your healthcare
Ireland spends $8,772 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sweden spends $7,770 as of 2024.
be 61.9% more likely to die by suicide
Ireland has a suicide rate of 8.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sweden, it is 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 87.7% more likely to be unemployed
In Ireland, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sweden, that number is 8.7% as of 2025.
be 15.0% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Ireland, 14.0% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Sweden, however, that number is 16.1% as of 2022.
make 52.0% less money
Ireland has a GDP per capita of $131,592 as of 2025, while in Sweden, the GDP per capita is $63,133 as of 2025.
Life
be 41.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Ireland, approximately 3.4 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 2.5 times more on education
Ireland spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Sweden spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 63.8% more on healthcare
Ireland spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Sweden, that number is 11.2% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 2.2 times more coastline
Ireland has a total of 1,448 km of coastline. In Sweden, that number is 3,218 km.
Safety
be 25.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Ireland, road accidents kill 2.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sweden, they kill 2.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 76.9% more likely to be murdered
Ireland has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Sweden, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 25.8% more home broadband
Ireland has 32.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sweden has 40.6 as of 2024.
live with 55.5% less strain on fresh water
Ireland withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sweden withdraws 4% as of 2022.
use 94.1% more electricity
Ireland uses 6,298 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 Ireland, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sweden, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 40.9% less CO2
Ireland emits 6.0 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: Ireland vs. Sweden
Sweden: At a glance
How big is Sweden compared to Ireland? See an in-depth size comparison.