Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sweden instead of United Kingdom, you would:
Health
live 2.7 years longer
In United Kingdom, the average life expectancy is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Sweden, that number is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.
be 36.0% less likely to be obese
In United Kingdom, 27.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sweden, that number is 17.5% of people as of 2024.
see 17.6% more spent on your healthcare
United Kingdom spends $6,606 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sweden spends $7,770 as of 2024.
have 33.5% more doctors per person
United Kingdom has 33.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sweden has 44.1 as of 2021.
be 44.9% more likely to die by suicide
United Kingdom has a suicide rate of 9.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sweden, it is 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 82.9% more likely to be unemployed
In United Kingdom, 4.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sweden, that number is 8.7% as of 2025.
Life
be 50.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In United Kingdom, approximately 8.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Sweden, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 51.2% less likely to die during infancy
In United Kingdom, approximately 4.1 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.
Expenditures
spend 23.9% more on education
United Kingdom spends 5.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Sweden spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 74.1% less coastline
United Kingdom has a total of 12,429 km of coastline. In Sweden, that number is 3,218 km.
Safety
be 12.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In United Kingdom, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sweden, they kill 2.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 75.1% less strain on fresh water
United Kingdom withdraws 14% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sweden withdraws 4% as of 2022.
use 2.9 times more electricity
United Kingdom uses 4,195 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Sweden uses 12,226 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 38.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In United Kingdom, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sweden, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 15.4% less CO2
United Kingdom emits 4.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sweden emits 3.6 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: United Kingdom vs. Sweden
Sweden: At a glance
How big is Sweden compared to United Kingdom? See an in-depth size comparison.