Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Poland instead of Sweden, you would:
Health
live 5.7 years less
In Sweden, the average life expectancy is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In Poland, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024.
be 24.5% more likely to be obese
In Sweden, 17.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Poland, that number is 21.8% of people as of 2024.
see 49.3% less spent on your healthcare
Sweden spends $7,770 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Poland spends $3,939 as of 2024.
Economy
be 65.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Sweden, 8.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Poland, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
be 16.1% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Sweden, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Poland, however, that number is 13.5% as of 2025.
make 55.0% less money
Sweden has a GDP per capita of $63,133 as of 2025, while in Poland, the GDP per capita is $28,420 as of 2025.
Life
be 50.0% 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 Poland, 2.0 women do as of 2023.
be 80.0% 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 Poland, on the other hand, 3.6 children do as of 2024.
have 25.8% fewer children
In Sweden, there are approximately 9.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Poland, there are 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 41.1% less on education
Sweden spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Poland spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 28.2% less on healthcare
Sweden spends 11.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Poland, that number is 8.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 86.3% less coastline
Sweden has a total of 3,218 km of coastline. In Poland, that number is 440 km.
Safety
be 30.4% less likely to be murdered
Sweden has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Poland, that number is 0.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 84.8% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Sweden, 73% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2022. In Poland, that number is 11% as of 2022.
be 3.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Sweden, road accidents kill 2.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Poland, they kill 6.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 37.6% less home broadband
Sweden has 40.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Poland has 25.4 as of 2024.
live with 9.1 times more strain on fresh water
Sweden withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Poland withdraws 32% as of 2022.
use 64.3% less electricity
Sweden uses 12,226 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Poland uses 4,370 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 5.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Sweden, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Poland, it causes 41.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.1 times more CO2
Sweden emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Poland emits 7.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Sweden vs. Poland
Poland: At a glance
How big is Poland compared to Sweden? See an in-depth size comparison.