Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sweden instead of South Korea, you would:
Health
see 52.9% more spent on your healthcare
South Korea spends $5,081 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sweden spends $7,770 as of 2024.
have 68.9% more doctors per person
South Korea has 26.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sweden has 44.1 as of 2021.
be 49.7% less likely to die by suicide
South Korea has a suicide rate of 27.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sweden, it is 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.1 times more likely to be obese
In South Korea, 8.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sweden, that number is 17.5% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 74.3% more money
South Korea has a GDP per capita of $36,227 as of 2025, while in Sweden, the GDP per capita is $63,133 as of 2025.
be 3.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In South Korea, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sweden, that number is 8.7% as of 2025.
Life
be 13.0% less likely to die during infancy
In South Korea, approximately 2.3 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 97.9% more children
In South Korea, there are approximately 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sweden, there are 9.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 35.3% more on education
South Korea spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Sweden spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 29.3% more on healthcare
South Korea spends 8.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Sweden, that number is 11.2% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 33.4% more coastline
South Korea has a total of 2,413 km of coastline. In Sweden, that number is 3,218 km.
Safety
be 13.9% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In South Korea, 64% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2021. In Sweden, that number is 73% as of 2022.
be 69.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In South Korea, road accidents kill 6.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sweden, they kill 2.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.4 times more likely to be murdered
South Korea has a homicide rate of 0.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Sweden, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 95.8% less strain on fresh water
South Korea withdraws 85% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sweden withdraws 4% as of 2022.
find 15.0% less home broadband
South Korea has 47.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sweden has 40.6 as of 2024.
Environment
be 57.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In South Korea, air pollution causes 19.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sweden, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 68.6% less CO2
South Korea emits 11.4 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 (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: South Korea vs. Sweden
Sweden: At a glance
How big is Sweden compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.