Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Republic of the Congo instead of Sweden, you would:
Health
be 30.3% less likely to be obese
In Sweden, 17.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 12.2% of people as of 2024.
be 51.5% less likely to die by suicide
Sweden has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Republic of the Congo, it is 6.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 32.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Sweden, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2022. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 3.2% of people as of 2024.
live 18.1 years less
In Sweden, the average life expectancy is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
see 97.3% less spent on your healthcare
Sweden spends $7,770 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Republic of the Congo spends $209 as of 2023.
have 96.1% fewer doctors per person
Sweden has 44.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Republic of the Congo has 1.7 as of 2022.
have 51.8% less access to essential health services
Sweden scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Republic of the Congo scores 41 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Sweden, 8.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 19.9% as of 2025.
make 96.0% less money
Sweden has a GDP per capita of $63,133 as of 2025, while in Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $2,515 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.3 times more children
In Sweden, there are approximately 9.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, there are 30.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 60.2 times 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 Republic of the Congo, 241.0 women do as of 2023.
be 13.5 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 Republic of the Congo, on the other hand, 27.0 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 48.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Sweden, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 51% of people on average (69% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 50.7% less likely to have internet access
In Sweden, approximately 95.8% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Republic of the Congo, about 47.2% do as of 2024.
be 26.3% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Sweden, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 73% of people on average (87% in urban areas, and 44% in rural areas) as of 2021.
Expenditures
spend 54.4% less on education
Sweden spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Republic of the Congo spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 70.6% less on healthcare
Sweden spends 11.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 94.7% less coastline
Sweden has a total of 3,218 km of coastline. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 169 km.
Safety
be 4.0 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Sweden, road accidents kill 2.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Republic of the Congo, they kill 8.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 99.2% less strain on fresh water
Sweden withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 96.9% less home broadband
Sweden has 40.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Republic of the Congo has 1.3 as of 2023.
use 97.2% less electricity
Sweden uses 12,226 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Republic of the Congo uses 338 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 62.5% less CO2
Sweden emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Republic of the Congo emits 1.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 8.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Sweden, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Republic of the Congo, it causes 66.0 as of 2019.
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. Republic of the Congo
Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Republic of the Congo compared to Sweden? See an in-depth size comparison.