Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Denmark instead of Sweden, you would:
Health
be 18.2% less likely to be obese
In Sweden, 17.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Denmark, that number is 14.3% of people as of 2024.
be 24.4% less likely to die by suicide
Sweden has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Denmark, it is 10.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.8 years less
In Sweden, the average life expectancy is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In Denmark, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
Economy
be 36.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Sweden, 8.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Denmark, that number is 5.5% as of 2025.
be 23.0% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Sweden, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Denmark, however, that number is 12.4% as of 2021.
make 21.9% more money
Sweden has a GDP per capita of $63,133 as of 2025, while in Denmark, the GDP per capita is $76,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 75.0% 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 Denmark, on the other hand, 3.5 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 13.1% less on education
Sweden spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Denmark spends 6.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 16.3% less on healthcare
Sweden spends 11.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Denmark, that number is 9.4% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 2.3 times more coastline
Sweden has a total of 3,218 km of coastline. In Denmark, that number is 7,314 km.
Safety
be 27.0% less likely to be murdered
Sweden has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Denmark, that number is 0.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 7.1 times more strain on fresh water
Sweden withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Denmark withdraws 25% as of 2022.
use 49.6% less electricity
Sweden uses 12,226 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Denmark uses 6,165 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 62.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Sweden, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Denmark, it causes 13.0 as of 2019.
emit 19.9% more CO2
Sweden emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Denmark emits 4.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sweden vs. Denmark
Denmark: At a glance
How big is Denmark compared to Sweden? See an in-depth size comparison.