Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Croatia instead of Sweden, you would:
Health
live 5.1 years less
In Sweden, the average life expectancy is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In Croatia, that number is 79 years (76 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024.
be 75.8% more likely to be obese
In Sweden, 17.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Croatia, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2024.
see 58.4% less spent on your healthcare
Sweden spends $7,770 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Croatia spends $3,229 as of 2023.
have 11.3% fewer doctors per person
Sweden has 44.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Croatia has 39.1 as of 2022.
be 13.3% more likely to die by suicide
Sweden has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Croatia, it is 15.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 42.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Sweden, 8.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Croatia, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
be 26.1% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Sweden, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Croatia, however, that number is 20.3% as of 2024.
make 57.1% less money
Sweden has a GDP per capita of $63,133 as of 2025, while in Croatia, the GDP per capita is $27,104 as of 2025.
Life
be 25.0% less 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 Croatia, 3.0 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 Croatia, on the other hand, 4.1 children do as of 2024.
have 10.8% fewer children
In Sweden, there are approximately 9.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Croatia, there are 8.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 12.7% less likely to have internet access
In Sweden, approximately 95.8% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Croatia, about 83.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 44.1% less on education
Sweden spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Croatia spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 36.3% less on healthcare
Sweden spends 11.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Croatia, that number is 7.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 81.3% more coastline
Sweden has a total of 3,218 km of coastline. In Croatia, that number is 5,835 km.
Safety
be 41.7% less likely to be murdered
Sweden has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Croatia, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 3.9 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Sweden, road accidents kill 2.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Croatia, they kill 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 57.8% less strain on fresh water
Sweden withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Croatia withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 27.1% less home broadband
Sweden has 40.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Croatia has 29.6 as of 2024.
use 63.3% less electricity
Sweden uses 12,226 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Croatia uses 4,484 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 3.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Sweden, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Croatia, it causes 31.0 as of 2019.
emit 35.3% more CO2
Sweden emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Croatia emits 4.8 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: Sweden vs. Croatia
Croatia: At a glance
How big is Croatia compared to Sweden? See an in-depth size comparison.