Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sweden instead of United States, you would:
Health
live 2.1 years longer
In United States, the average life expectancy is 80 years (78 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2020. In Sweden, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2020.
be 43.1% less likely to be obese
In United States, 36.2% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Sweden, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 14.4% less money
United States has a GDP per capita of $59,800 as of 2017, while in Sweden, the GDP per capita is $51,200 as of 2017.
be 52.3% more likely to be unemployed
In United States, 4.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In Sweden, that number is 6.7% as of 2017.
pay a 44.2% higher top tax rate
United States has a top tax rate of 39.6% as of 2016. In Sweden, the top tax rate is 57.1% as of 2016.
Life
be 78.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In United States, approximately 19.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Sweden, 4.0 women do as of 2017.
be 50.9% less likely to die during infancy
In United States, approximately 5.3 children die before they reach the age of one as of 2020. In Sweden, on the other hand, 2.6 children do as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 54.0% more on education
United States spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2014. Sweden spends 7.7% of total GDP on education as of 2016.
Geography
see 83.8% less coastline
United States has a total of 19,924 km of coastline. In Sweden, that number is 3,218 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Internal Revenue Service, Skatteverket.
Sweden: At a glance
How big is Sweden compared to United States? See an in-depth size comparison.