Quality of life comparison
If you lived in China instead of Sweden, you would:
Health
be 46.9% less likely to be obese
In Sweden, 17.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In China, that number is 9.3% of people as of 2024.
be 35.3% less likely to die by suicide
Sweden has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In China, it is 8.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 6.0 years less
In Sweden, the average life expectancy is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In China, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 80.9% less spent on your healthcare
Sweden spends $7,770 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). China spends $1,487 as of 2023.
have 29.4% fewer doctors per person
Sweden has 44.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. China has 31.1 as of 2022.
Economy
be 46.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Sweden, 8.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In China, that number is 4.6% as of 2025.
make 78.0% less money
Sweden has a GDP per capita of $63,133 as of 2025, while in China, the GDP per capita is $13,862 as of 2025.
Life
be 4.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Sweden, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In China, 16.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In Sweden, approximately 2.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In China, on the other hand, 4.1 children do as of 2024.
have 27.2% fewer children
In Sweden, there are approximately 9.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In China, there are 6.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 46.7% less on education
Sweden spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. China spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 47.1% less on healthcare
Sweden spends 11.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In China, that number is 5.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 4.5 times more coastline
Sweden has a total of 3,218 km of coastline. In China, that number is 14,500 km.
Safety
be 56.5% less likely to be murdered
Sweden has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In China, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 25.3% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Sweden, 73% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In China, that number is 91% as of 2020.
be 8.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Sweden, road accidents kill 2.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In China, they kill 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 16.2% more home broadband
Sweden has 40.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. China has 47.2 as of 2024.
live with 11.6 times more strain on fresh water
Sweden withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. China withdraws 42% as of 2022.
use 46.6% less electricity
Sweden uses 12,226 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. China uses 6,524 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 8.0 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Sweden, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In China, it causes 64.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.6 times more CO2
Sweden emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. China emits 9.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Sweden vs. China
China: At a glance
How big is China compared to Sweden? See an in-depth size comparison.