Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sweden fits inside Canada 30 times
Canada: 15,634,400 km² (2024) · Sweden: 528,860 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Canada’s coastline is 63 times as long as Sweden’s
Canada: 202,080 km (2026 edition) · Sweden: 3,218 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Canada’s highest peak towers 3,859 m above Sweden’s
Canada: 5,959 m (2026 edition) · Sweden: 2,100 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 7.3% of Sweden, versus 6.5% of Canada
Canada: 6.5% (2024) · Sweden: 7.3% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Canada has 3.9 times as many people as Sweden
Canada: 41.7 million (2025) · Sweden: 10.6 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Sweden is 5.5 times as densely populated as Canada
Canada: 5 per km² (2025) · Sweden: 26 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Sweden are 1.7 cm taller than in Canada
Canada: 178.8 cm (2019) · Sweden: 180.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Sweden are 1.9 cm taller than in Canada
Canada: 164.7 cm (2019) · Sweden: 166.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Canada is 0.43 years older than in Sweden
Canada: 40.3 years (2023) · Sweden: 39.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Sweden have 0.2 more children on average than in Canada
Canada: 1.25 children per woman (2024) · Sweden: 1.43 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in Sweden are 65 or older, versus 20% in Canada
Canada: 20.3% (2025) · Sweden: 20.9% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Sweden hosts 36% more refugees per resident than Canada
Canada: 10 per 1,000 (2025) · Sweden: 13.6 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Sweden has produced 28.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Canada 5.5
Canada: 5.5 (2026) · Sweden: 28.3 (2026)
How many official languages?
Canada has 2 official languages, Sweden 1
Canada: 2 (2026) · Sweden: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Canada’s economy is 3.5 times the size of Sweden’s
Canada: $2.32 trillion (2025) · Sweden: $669 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Sweden produces 9% more per person than Canada
Canada: Int$66,746 (2025) · Sweden: Int$72,529 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Canada than in Sweden (Gini 2.2 points higher)
Canada: 31.5 (2022) · Sweden: 29.3 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
0.8% of people in Sweden live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.3% in Canada
Canada: 0.3% (2022) · Sweden: 0.8% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.7% in Sweden, versus 6.9% in Canada
Canada: 6.9% (2025) · Sweden: 8.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Sweden spends 2.5% of its GDP on the military, Canada 1.6%
Canada: 1.6% (2025) · Sweden: 2.5% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Sweden’s central government collects 27% of GDP in tax, Canada’s 14%
Canada: 13.7% (2024) · Sweden: 27.2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Sweden’s price level (US = 100) is 1× Canada’s
Canada: 83% (2025) · Sweden: 87% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Sweden spends 2% more on health per person than Canada
Canada: $6,378 (2024) · Sweden: $6,485 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Sweden live 2 years longer than in Canada
Canada: 82.1 years (2024) · Sweden: 84.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Canada is 2.4 times as likely to die before turning one as in Sweden
Canada: 4.7 per 1,000 (2024) · Sweden: 2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Sweden has 56% more doctors per person than Canada
Canada: 2.8 per 1,000 (2023) · Sweden: 4.4 per 1,000 (2021)
How many hospital beds are there?
Canada has 34% more hospital beds per person than Sweden
Canada: 2.5 per 1,000 (2022) · Sweden: 1.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Sweden is 51% higher than in Canada
Canada: 8.4 per 100k (2023) · Sweden: 12.7 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
27% of adults in Canada are obese, versus 19% in Sweden
Canada: 27.1% (2024) · Sweden: 18.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in Sweden smoke, versus 11% in Canada
Canada: 11.2% (2024) · Sweden: 20.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Sweden rate their lives 0.51 points higher than in Canada
Canada: 6.74 (2025) · Sweden: 7.26 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Canada drink 6% more alcohol than in Sweden
Canada: 9.2 litres (2023) · Sweden: 8.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Canada has 39% more meat per person than Sweden
Canada: 94.8 kg (2023) · Sweden: 68.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Canada has 223 kcal more food per person per day than Sweden
Canada: 3,590 kcal (2023) · Sweden: 3,367 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Canada put in 300 more hours a year than in Sweden
Canada: 1,731 hours (2023) · Sweden: 1,432 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Canada went to school 1.1 years longer than in Sweden
Canada: 13.9 years (2023) · Sweden: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Sweden welcomed 31% more tourists per resident than Canada (2019)
Canada: 0.48 (2024) · Sweden: 0.63 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Canada has 7 more World Heritage sites than Sweden (22 against 15)
Canada: 22 (2026) · Sweden: 15 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Sweden has won 709 Olympic medals, Canada 597
Canada: 597 (2026 edition) · Sweden: 709 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Sweden are online, versus 94% in Canada
Canada: 94% (2024) · Sweden: 96% (2025)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Canada is 44% faster than in Sweden
Canada: 357 Mbps (2026) · Sweden: 248 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Canada and Sweden are practically level
Canada: 100% (2024) · Sweden: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
89% of people in Sweden live in cities, versus 83% in Canada
Canada: 83% (2025) · Sweden: 89% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sweden has 141 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Canada 94
Canada: 94 (2024) · Sweden: 141 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Canada’s railway network is 5 times as long as Sweden’s
Canada: 48,150 km (2021) · Sweden: 9,714 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Canada fly 15% more passengers per resident than those from Sweden
Canada: 2.13 (2023) · Sweden: 1.85 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 69% of Sweden, but only 42% of Canada
Canada: 42% (2024) · Sweden: 68.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Canada emits 3.7 times as much CO₂ as someone in Sweden
Canada: 13.4 t (2024) · Sweden: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
71% of Sweden’s electricity is renewable, versus 64% in Canada
Canada: 63.9% (2025) · Sweden: 71.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Canada carries 23% more fine dust than in Sweden
Canada: 7 µg/m³ (2024) · Sweden: 5.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 73% more likely to be murdered in Canada than in Sweden
Canada: 2 per 100k (2023) · Sweden: 1.1 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Canada are 2.2 times as deadly as in Sweden
Canada: 7.6 per 100k (2023) · Sweden: 3.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Sweden is on average 7.3 °C warmer than Canada
Canada: -3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 4.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Sweden gets 17% more rain than Canada
Canada: 683 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 801 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Canada bigger than Sweden?
Canada is larger. Sweden fits inside Canada 30 times.
Which has more people, Canada or Sweden?
Canada has 3.9 times as many people as Sweden (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Canada or Sweden?
People in Sweden live 2 years longer than in Canada. Life expectancy at birth is 82.1 years in Canada and 84.1 in Sweden.
Are people taller in Canada or Sweden?
Men in Sweden are 1.7 cm taller than in Canada (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
