Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Sweden instead of North Korea, you would:

Health

live 10.9 years longer

In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022. In Sweden, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

be 3.0 times more likely to be obese

In North Korea, 6.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Sweden, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 32.5 times more money

North Korea has a GDP per capita of $1,700 as of 2015, while in Sweden, the GDP per capita is $55,300 as of 2022.

be 2.4 times more likely to be unemployed

In North Korea, 3.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Sweden, that number is 7.4% as of 2022.

Life

be 95.3% less likely to die during childbirth

In North Korea, approximately 107.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Sweden, 5.0 women do as of 2020.

be 89.6% less likely to die during infancy

In North Korea, approximately 22.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Sweden, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2022.

have 18.9% fewer children

In North Korea, there are approximately 13.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sweden, there are 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 90.1% more likely to have access to electricity

In North Korea, approximately 53% of the population has electricity access as of 2021. In Sweden, 100% of the population do as of 2021.

Geography

see 29.0% more coastline

North Korea has a total of 2,495 km of coastline. In Sweden, that number is 3,218 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

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

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