Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Spain instead of Sweden, you would:
Health
be 12.6% less likely to be obese
In Sweden, 17.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Spain, that number is 15.3% of people as of 2024.
be 37.0% less likely to die by suicide
Sweden has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Spain, it is 8.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 36.5% less spent on your healthcare
Sweden spends $7,770 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Spain spends $4,935 as of 2023.
Economy
be 19.4% more likely to be unemployed
In Sweden, 8.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Spain, that number is 10.4% as of 2025.
be 25.5% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Sweden, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Spain, however, that number is 20.2% as of 2022.
make 38.8% less money
Sweden has a GDP per capita of $63,133 as of 2025, while in Spain, the GDP per capita is $38,627 as of 2025.
Life
be 25.0% 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 Spain, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 30.0% 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 Spain, on the other hand, 2.6 children do as of 2024.
have 30.1% fewer children
In Sweden, there are approximately 9.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Spain, there are 6.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 37.3% less on education
Sweden spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Spain spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 17.8% less on healthcare
Sweden spends 11.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Spain, that number is 9.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 54.3% more coastline
Sweden has a total of 3,218 km of coastline. In Spain, that number is 4,964 km.
Safety
be 40.0% less likely to be murdered
Sweden has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Spain, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 66.7% more likely to die in a road accident
In Sweden, road accidents kill 2.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Spain, they kill 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 12.1 times more strain on fresh water
Sweden withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Spain withdraws 43% as of 2022.
use 57.5% less electricity
Sweden uses 12,226 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Spain uses 5,196 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 25.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Sweden, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Spain, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.
emit 26.3% more CO2
Sweden emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Spain emits 4.5 tonnes as of 2024.
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. Spain
Spain: At a glance
How big is Spain compared to Sweden? See an in-depth size comparison.