Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 52.4% less likely to be obese

In Texas, 36.8% of adults are obese as of 2022. In Sweden, that number is 17.5% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed

In Texas, 3.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sweden, that number is 8.7% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 27.8% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Texas, 12.6% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Sweden, however, that number is 16.1% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), World Health Organization (2024), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023). How we calculate this

Compare further: Texas vs. Sweden

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Sweden is 17.9% cheaper than Texas
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Texas is about 1.5 times bigger than Sweden.
→
Moving from Texas to Sweden · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→
City Size Comparison · See true size
Compare the size of Houston vs Stockholm
→

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.
Read more

How big is Sweden compared to Texas? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Sweden or United States. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.