Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sweden instead of Netherlands, you would:
Health
live 2.1 years longer
In Netherlands, the average life expectancy is 82 years (81 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Sweden, that number is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.
have 13.7% more doctors per person
Netherlands has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sweden has 44.1 as of 2021.
be 19.2% more likely to be obese
In Netherlands, 14.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sweden, that number is 17.5% of people as of 2024.
be 20.3% more likely to die by suicide
Netherlands has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sweden, it is 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Netherlands, 3.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sweden, that number is 8.7% as of 2025.
be 11.0% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Netherlands, 14.5% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Sweden, however, that number is 16.1% as of 2022.
make 14.3% less money
Netherlands has a GDP per capita of $73,684 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 Netherlands, 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 41.3% more on education
Netherlands spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Sweden spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 12.1% more on healthcare
Netherlands spends 10.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Sweden, that number is 11.2% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 7.1 times more coastline
Netherlands has a total of 451 km of coastline. In Sweden, that number is 3,218 km.
Safety
be 38.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Netherlands, road accidents kill 3.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sweden, they kill 2.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 66.7% more likely to be murdered
Netherlands 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
live with 78.5% less strain on fresh water
Netherlands withdraws 17% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sweden withdraws 4% as of 2022.
use 91.4% more electricity
Netherlands uses 6,386 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 Netherlands, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sweden, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 45.9% less CO2
Netherlands emits 6.6 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: Netherlands vs. Sweden
Sweden: At a glance
How big is Sweden compared to Netherlands? See an in-depth size comparison.