Moving to Sweden from North Korea
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from North Korea to Sweden — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from North Korea to Sweden, and you’d need to navigate life in Swedish.
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
How many people actually move from North Korea to Sweden, based on official data.
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from North Korea to Sweden.
How's the healthcare?
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
North Korea generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Sweden leads in doctors per 10,000 people.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
North Korea generally does better on environment, though Sweden leads in air pollution deaths.
Will I have good infrastructure?
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
Sweden performs significantly better than North Korea across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
North Korea generally does better on employment & economy, though Sweden leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
Sweden performs significantly better than North Korea across all family life metrics.
Data: The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | P'yongyang | Stockholm |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 38°/20°F (4°/-7°C) | 36°/28°F (2°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) | 61°/45°F (16°/7°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 81°/65°F (27°/18°C) | 69°/56°F (21°/13°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 50°/31°F (10°/0°C) | 43°/36°F (6°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | P'yongyang | Stockholm |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/13°F (-0.8°/-10.7°C) | 34°/27°F (1.0°/-2.9°C) |
| Feb | 36°/18°F (2.4°/-7.8°C) | 34°/26°F (1.2°/-3.2°C) |
| Mar | 48°/29°F (8.9°/-1.8°C) | 40°/30°F (4.7°/-1.1°C) |
| Apr | 63°/41°F (17.1°/4.9°C) | 51°/37°F (10.7°/2.6°C) |
| May | 73°/52°F (22.6°/10.9°C) | 62°/45°F (16.5°/7.1°C) |
| Jun | 80°/62°F (26.7°/16.5°C) | 69°/53°F (20.8°/11.6°C) |
| Jul | 83°/69°F (28.6°/20.7°C) | 74°/59°F (23.6°/14.8°C) |
| Aug | 84°/69°F (28.9°/20.5°C) | 72°/58°F (22.1°/14.2°C) |
| Sep | 76°/58°F (24.7°/14.3°C) | 62°/50°F (16.6°/10.2°C) |
| Oct | 65°/44°F (18.2°/6.7°C) | 50°/42°F (10.1°/5.5°C) |
| Nov | 49°/31°F (9.4°/-0.3°C) | 42°/35°F (5.4°/1.9°C) |
| Dec | 35°/19°F (1.7°/-7.2°C) | 36°/30°F (2.5°/-1.2°C) |
Data:
Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI)
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between North Korea and Sweden. To live, work, or study long-term in Sweden, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Sweden's immigration authority.
North Korea passport holder visiting Sweden
Visa Required
Sweden passport holder visiting North Korea
Visa RequiredData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I work remotely from Sweden?
Usually fine from major cities in Sweden. The harder questions are legal — digital nomad visa eligibility, your employer's overseas-work policy, and tax residency in both countries.
How is healthcare in Sweden compared to North Korea?
North Korea generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Sweden leads in doctors per 10,000 people. There are 71.5 doctors per 10,000 people in Sweden, compared to 36.7 in North Korea. Sweden scores 85 on the WHO universal health coverage index (North Korea: 68).
What's the weather like in Sweden compared to North Korea?
The average high temperature in Stockholm is 52°F, compared to 60°F in P'yongyang. Stockholm receives around 21.5 in of rainfall per year, while P'yongyang gets 37.0 in.
What language do they speak in Sweden?
The official language in Sweden is Swedish. In North Korea, the official language is Korean.
