Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Norway instead of Sweden, you would:
Health
see 22.6% more spent on your healthcare
Sweden spends $7,770 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Norway spends $9,523 as of 2023.
have 12.9% more doctors per person
Sweden has 44.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Norway has 49.8 as of 2023.
live 0.9 years less
In Sweden, the average life expectancy is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In Norway, that number is 83 years (82 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.
be 15.3% more likely to be obese
In Sweden, 17.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Norway, that number is 20.2% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 46.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Sweden, 8.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Norway, that number is 4.6% as of 2025.
be 24.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Sweden, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Norway, however, that number is 12.2% as of 2021.
make 49.8% more money
Sweden has a GDP per capita of $63,133 as of 2025, while in Norway, the GDP per capita is $94,594 as of 2025.
Life
be 75.0% 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 Norway, 1.0 women do as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 25.8% less on education
Sweden spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Norway spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 16.0% less on healthcare
Sweden spends 11.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Norway, that number is 9.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 7.8 times more coastline
Sweden has a total of 3,218 km of coastline. In Norway, that number is 25,148 km.
Safety
be 37.4% less likely to be murdered
Sweden has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Norway, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 28.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Sweden, road accidents kill 2.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Norway, they kill 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 11.2% more home broadband
Sweden has 40.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Norway has 45.2 as of 2024.
live with 43.0% less strain on fresh water
Sweden withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Norway withdraws 2% as of 2022.
use 93.6% more electricity
Sweden uses 12,226 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Norway uses 23,673 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 2.0 times more CO2
Sweden emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Norway emits 7.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sweden vs. Norway
Norway: At a glance
How big is Norway compared to Sweden? See an in-depth size comparison.