If you lived in Sweden instead of Switzerland, you would:

Health

be 55.1% more likely to be obese

In Switzerland, 11.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sweden, that number is 17.5% of people as of 2024.

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see 26.7% less spent on your healthcare

Switzerland spends $10,602 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sweden spends $7,770 as of 2024.

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Economy

be 78.4% more likely to be unemployed

In Switzerland, 4.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sweden, that number is 8.7% as of 2025.

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make 45.0% less money

Switzerland has a GDP per capita of $114,769 as of 2025, while in Sweden, the GDP per capita is $63,133 as of 2025.

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Life

be 20.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Switzerland, approximately 5.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Sweden, 4.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 41.2% less likely to die during infancy

In Switzerland, approximately 3.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Sweden, on the other hand, 2.0 children do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 50.6% more on education

Switzerland spends 4.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Sweden spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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Safety

be 12.5% less likely to die in a road accident

In Switzerland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sweden, they kill 2.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 91.7% more likely to be murdered

Switzerland has a homicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Sweden, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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Infrastructure

live with 44.9% less strain on fresh water

Switzerland withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sweden withdraws 4% as of 2022.

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use 71.8% more electricity

Switzerland uses 7,117 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Sweden uses 12,226 kWh as of 2024.

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find 13.6% less home broadband

Switzerland has 47.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sweden has 40.6 as of 2024.

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Environment

be 20.0% less likely to die from air pollution

In Switzerland, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sweden, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Sweden: At a glance

Sweden is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 410,335 sq km. A military power during the 17th century, Sweden has not participated in any war for almost two centuries. An armed neutrality was preserved in both world wars. Sweden's long-successful economic formula of a capitalist system intermixed with substantial welfare elements was challenged in the 1990s by high unemployment and in 2000-02 and 2009 by the global economic downturns, but fiscal discipline over the past several years has allowed the country to weather economic vagaries. Sweden joined the EU in 1995, but the public rejected the introduction of the euro in a 2003 referendum.
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