Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sweden fits inside China 18 times.
China: 9,562,910 km² (2023) · Sweden: 528,660 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
China’s coastline is 4.5 times as long as Sweden’s.
China: 14,500 km (2026 edition) · Sweden: 3,218 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
China’s highest peak towers 6,749 m above Sweden’s.
China: 8,849 m (2026 edition) · Sweden: 2,100 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
China has 133 times as many people as Sweden.
China: 1.41 billion (2025) · Sweden: 10.6 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
China is 5.8 times as densely populated as Sweden.
China: 150 per km² (2025) · Sweden: 26 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Sweden are 4.8 cm taller than in China.
China: 175.7 cm (2019) · Sweden: 180.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Sweden are 3.2 cm taller than in China.
China: 163.5 cm (2019) · Sweden: 166.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Sweden is 0.85 years older than in China.
China: 39.1 years (2023) · Sweden: 39.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Sweden have 0.4 more children on average than in China.
China: 1.01 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 15% in China.
China: 14.9% (2025) · Sweden: 20.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Sweden has produced 28.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, China 0.1.
China: 0.1 (2025) · Sweden: 28.3 (2025)
How many official languages?
China and Sweden are practically level.
China: 1 (2026) · Sweden: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
China’s economy is 29 times the size of Sweden’s.
China: $19.5 trillion (2025) · Sweden: $669 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Sweden produces 2.5 times as much per person as China.
China: Int$29,333 (2025) · Sweden: Int$72,529 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in China than in Sweden (Gini 6.7 points higher).
China: 36 (2022) · Sweden: 29.3 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.7% in Sweden, versus 4.6% in China.
China: 4.6% (2025) · Sweden: 8.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Sweden and China are practically level.
China: 1.7% (2024) · Sweden: 2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Sweden’s price level (US = 100) is 1.8× China’s.
China: 47% (2025) · Sweden: 87% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Sweden spends 8.5 times as much on health per person as China.
China: $763 (2023) · Sweden: $6,485 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Sweden live 6 years longer than in China.
China: 78 years (2024) · Sweden: 84.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in China is 2.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in Sweden.
China: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Sweden: 2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Sweden has 42% more doctors per person than China.
China: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022) · Sweden: 4.4 per 1,000 (2021)
How common is obesity?
19% of adults in Sweden are obese, versus 9.1% in China.
China: 9.1% (2024) · Sweden: 18.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in China smoke, versus 20% in Sweden.
China: 22.8% (2024) · Sweden: 20.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Sweden rate their lives 1.18 points higher than in China.
China: 6.07 (2025) · Sweden: 7.26 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Sweden drink 2.4 times as much alcohol as in China.
China: 3.7 litres (2023) · Sweden: 8.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
China has 8% more meat per person than Sweden.
China: 73.5 kg (2023) · Sweden: 68.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
China has 160 kcal more food per person per day than Sweden.
China: 3,527 kcal (2023) · Sweden: 3,367 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in China put in 896 more hours a year than in Sweden.
China: 2,328 hours (2023) · Sweden: 1,432 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Sweden went to school 4.7 years longer than in China.
China: 8 years (2023) · Sweden: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Sweden welcomed 14 times as many tourists per resident as China (2019).
China: 0.05 (2019) · Sweden: 0.63 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Sweden are online, versus 92% in China.
China: 92% (2025) · Sweden: 96% (2025)
Who has electricity at home?
China and Sweden are practically level.
China: 100% (2024) · Sweden: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
89% of people in Sweden live in cities, versus 66% in China.
China: 66% (2025) · Sweden: 89% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sweden has 141 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, China 132.
China: 132 (2024) · Sweden: 141 (2024)
How much railway is there?
China’s railway network is 11 times as long as Sweden’s.
China: 109,767 km (2021) · Sweden: 9,714 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Sweden fly 4.2 times as many passengers per resident as those from China.
China: 0.44 (2023) · Sweden: 1.85 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 69% of Sweden, but only 24% of China.
China: 24% (2023) · Sweden: 68.7% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in China emits 2.4 times as much CO₂ as someone in Sweden.
China: 8.7 t (2024) · Sweden: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
71% of Sweden’s electricity is renewable, versus 37% in China.
China: 37% (2025) · Sweden: 71.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in China carries 5.5 times as much fine dust as in Sweden.
China: 31.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Sweden: 5.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.3 times as likely to be murdered in Sweden as in China.
China: 0.5 per 100k (2020) · Sweden: 1.1 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in China are 8.3 times as deadly as in Sweden.
China: 17.4 per 100k (2021) · Sweden: 2.1 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
China is on average 3.5 °C warmer than Sweden.
China: 7.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 4.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
China gets 1% more rain than Sweden.
China: 813 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 801 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is China bigger than Sweden?
China is larger. Sweden fits inside China 18 times.
Which has more people, China or Sweden?
China has 133 times as many people as Sweden (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, China or Sweden?
People in Sweden live 6 years longer than in China. Life expectancy at birth is 78.0 years in China and 84.1 in Sweden.
Are people taller in China or Sweden?
Men in Sweden are 4.8 cm taller than in China (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
