If you lived in Greece instead of Sweden, you would:

Health

have 49.2% more doctors per person

Sweden has 44.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Greece has 65.8 as of 2022.

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be 66.2% less likely to die by suicide

Sweden has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Greece, it is 4.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 2.2 years less

In Sweden, the average life expectancy is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In Greece, that number is 82 years (79 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 56.7% more likely to be obese

In Sweden, 17.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Greece, that number is 27.4% of people as of 2024.

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see 55.6% less spent on your healthcare

Sweden spends $7,770 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Greece spends $3,454 as of 2023.

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Economy

be 16.8% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Sweden, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Greece, however, that number is 18.8% as of 2021.

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make 57.3% less money

Sweden has a GDP per capita of $63,133 as of 2025, while in Greece, the GDP per capita is $26,948 as of 2025.

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Life

be 25.0% 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 Greece, 5.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 60.0% 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 Greece, on the other hand, 3.2 children do as of 2024.

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have 29.0% fewer children

In Sweden, there are approximately 9.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Greece, there are 6.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 53.8% less on education

Sweden spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Greece spends 3.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 25.2% less on healthcare

Sweden spends 11.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Greece, that number is 8.4% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 4.2 times more coastline

Sweden has a total of 3,218 km of coastline. In Greece, that number is 13,676 km.

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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 Greece, that number is 0.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 3.5 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Sweden, road accidents kill 2.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Greece, they kill 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 5.7 times more strain on fresh water

Sweden withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Greece withdraws 20% as of 2022.

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use 61.7% less electricity

Sweden uses 12,226 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Greece uses 4,686 kWh as of 2024.

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Environment

be 2.9 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Sweden, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Greece, it causes 23.0 as of 2019.

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emit 41.5% more CO2

Sweden emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Greece emits 5.0 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Greece: At a glance

Greece is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 130,647 sq km. Greece achieved independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1830. During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, it gradually added neighboring islands and territories, most with Greek-speaking populations. In World War II, Greece was first invaded by Italy (1940) and subsequently occupied by Germany (1941-44); fighting endured in a protracted civil war between supporters of the king and other anti-communist and communist rebels. Following the latter's defeat in 1949, Greece joined NATO in 1952. In 1967, a group of military officers seized power, establishing a military dictatorship that suspended many political liberties and forced the king to flee the country. In 1974, democratic elections and a referendum created a parliamentary republic and abolished the monarchy. In 1981, Greece joined the EC (now the EU); it became the 12th member of the European Economic and Monetary Union in 2001. In 2010, the prospect of a Greek default on its euro-denominated debt created severe strains within the EMU and raised the question of whether a member country might voluntarily leave the common currency or be removed.
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