Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Thailand instead of Sweden, you would:
Health
live 7.5 years less
In Sweden, the average life expectancy is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In Thailand, that number is 77 years (72 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 86.3% less spent on your healthcare
Sweden spends $7,770 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Thailand spends $1,067 as of 2023.
have 87.7% fewer doctors per person
Sweden has 44.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Thailand has 5.4 as of 2021.
be 19.9% more likely to die by suicide
Sweden has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Thailand, it is 16.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 91.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Sweden, 8.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Thailand, that number is 0.8% as of 2025.
be 66.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Sweden, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Thailand, however, that number is 5.4% as of 2022.
make 87.2% less money
Sweden has a GDP per capita of $63,133 as of 2025, while in Thailand, the GDP per capita is $8,057 as of 2025.
Life
be 8.5 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 Thailand, 34.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.9 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 Thailand, on the other hand, 7.7 children do as of 2024.
have 12.7% fewer children
In Sweden, there are approximately 9.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Thailand, there are 8.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 65.6% less on education
Sweden spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Thailand spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 59.5% less on healthcare
Sweden spends 11.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Thailand, that number is 4.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 12.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Sweden, road accidents kill 2.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Thailand, they kill 25.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 63.3% less home broadband
Sweden has 40.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Thailand has 14.9 as of 2024.
live with 6.4 times more strain on fresh water
Sweden withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Thailand withdraws 23% as of 2022.
use 75.7% less electricity
Sweden uses 12,226 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Thailand uses 2,965 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 3.6 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Sweden, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Thailand, it causes 29.0 as of 2019.
emit 10.9% more CO2
Sweden emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Thailand emits 4.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sweden vs. Thailand
Thailand: At a glance
How big is Thailand compared to Sweden? See an in-depth size comparison.