Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sweden instead of New Zealand, you would:
Health
live 2.0 years longer
In New Zealand, 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 48.5% less likely to be obese
In New Zealand, 34.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sweden, that number is 17.5% of people as of 2024.
see 39.4% more spent on your healthcare
New Zealand spends $5,576 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sweden spends $7,770 as of 2024.
have 22.1% more doctors per person
New Zealand has 36.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sweden has 44.1 as of 2021.
be 16.1% more likely to die by suicide
New Zealand has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sweden, it is 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 27.3% more money
New Zealand has a GDP per capita of $49,591 as of 2025, while in Sweden, the GDP per capita is $63,133 as of 2025.
be 71.1% more likely to be unemployed
In New Zealand, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sweden, that number is 8.7% as of 2025.
Life
be 42.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In New Zealand, approximately 7.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Sweden, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 50.0% less likely to die during infancy
In New Zealand, approximately 4.0 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 15.7% fewer children
In New Zealand, there are approximately 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sweden, there are 9.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 40.5% more on education
New Zealand spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Sweden spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 11.5% more on healthcare
New Zealand spends 10.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Sweden, that number is 11.2% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 78.7% less coastline
New Zealand has a total of 15,134 km of coastline. In Sweden, that number is 3,218 km.
Safety
be 21.2% less likely to be murdered
New Zealand has a homicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Sweden, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 68.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In New Zealand, road accidents kill 6.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sweden, they kill 2.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 55.5% less strain on fresh water
New Zealand withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sweden withdraws 4% as of 2022.
use 53.0% more electricity
New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Sweden uses 12,226 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 33.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In New Zealand, air pollution causes 12.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sweden, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 40.6% less CO2
New Zealand 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: New Zealand vs. Sweden
Sweden: At a glance
How big is Sweden compared to New Zealand? See an in-depth size comparison.