Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sweden fits inside Colombia 2.2 times.
Colombia: 1,140,620 km² (2023) · Sweden: 528,660 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Sweden and Colombia are nearly identical here.
Colombia: 3,208 km (2026 edition) · Sweden: 3,218 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Colombia’s highest peak towers 3,630 m above Sweden’s.
Colombia: 5,730 m (2026 edition) · Sweden: 2,100 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Colombia has 5 times as many people as Sweden.
Colombia: 53.4 million (2025) · Sweden: 10.6 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Colombia is 85% more densely populated than Sweden.
Colombia: 48 per km² (2025) · Sweden: 26 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Sweden are 8.6 cm taller than in Colombia.
Colombia: 171.9 cm (2019) · Sweden: 180.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Sweden are 8.7 cm taller than in Colombia.
Colombia: 158 cm (2019) · Sweden: 166.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Sweden is 8.3 years older than in Colombia.
Colombia: 31.6 years (2023) · Sweden: 39.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Colombia have 0.2 more children on average than in Sweden.
Colombia: 1.63 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 10% in Colombia.
Colombia: 10.2% (2025) · Sweden: 20.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Sweden has produced 28.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Colombia 0.4.
Colombia: 0.4 (2025) · Sweden: 28.3 (2025)
How many official languages?
Colombia and Sweden are practically level.
Colombia: 1 (2026) · Sweden: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Sweden’s economy is 46% larger than Colombia’s.
Colombia: $457 billion (2025) · Sweden: $669 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Sweden produces 3.2 times as much per person as Colombia.
Colombia: Int$22,640 (2025) · Sweden: Int$72,529 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Colombia than in Sweden (Gini 25.1 points higher).
Colombia: 54.4 (2024) · Sweden: 29.3 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Sweden and Colombia are practically level.
Colombia: 8.3% (2025) · Sweden: 8.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Colombia spends 3.4% of its GDP on the military, Sweden 2.0%.
Colombia: 3.4% (2024) · Sweden: 2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Sweden’s price level (US = 100) is 2.3× Colombia’s.
Colombia: 38% (2025) · Sweden: 87% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Sweden spends 10 times as much on health per person as Colombia.
Colombia: $644 (2024) · Sweden: $6,485 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Sweden live 6.2 years longer than in Colombia.
Colombia: 77.9 years (2024) · Sweden: 84.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Colombia is 5.3 times as likely to die before turning one as in Sweden.
Colombia: 10.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Sweden: 2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Sweden has 74% more doctors per person than Colombia.
Colombia: 2.5 per 1,000 (2023) · Sweden: 4.4 per 1,000 (2021)
How common is obesity?
25% of adults in Colombia are obese, versus 19% in Sweden.
Colombia: 25.3% (2024) · Sweden: 18.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in Sweden smoke, versus 8.0% in Colombia.
Colombia: 8% (2024) · Sweden: 20.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Sweden rate their lives 1.21 points higher than in Colombia.
Colombia: 6.04 (2025) · Sweden: 7.26 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Sweden drink 78% more alcohol than in Colombia.
Colombia: 4.9 litres (2023) · Sweden: 8.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Sweden has 9% more meat per person than Colombia.
Colombia: 62.6 kg (2023) · Sweden: 68.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Sweden has 240 kcal more food per person per day than Colombia.
Colombia: 3,126 kcal (2023) · Sweden: 3,367 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Colombia put in 1,039 more hours a year than in Sweden.
Colombia: 2,471 hours (2023) · Sweden: 1,432 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Sweden went to school 3.7 years longer than in Colombia.
Colombia: 9 years (2023) · Sweden: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Sweden welcomed 7.2 times as many tourists per resident as Colombia (2019).
Colombia: 0.09 (2022) · Sweden: 0.63 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Sweden are online, versus 79% in Colombia.
Colombia: 79% (2024) · Sweden: 96% (2025)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Sweden have electricity, versus 99% in Colombia.
Colombia: 98.9% (2024) · Sweden: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
89% of people in Sweden live in cities, versus 79% in Colombia.
Colombia: 79% (2025) · Sweden: 89% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Colombia has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Sweden 141.
Colombia: 174 (2024) · Sweden: 141 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Sweden’s railway network is 4.5 times as long as Colombia’s.
Colombia: 2,141 km (2019) · Sweden: 9,714 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Sweden fly 2.3 times as many passengers per resident as those from Colombia.
Colombia: 0.79 (2023) · Sweden: 1.85 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 69% of Sweden, but only 53% of Colombia.
Colombia: 52.8% (2023) · Sweden: 68.7% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Sweden emits 2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Colombia.
Colombia: 1.8 t (2024) · Sweden: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
77% of Colombia’s electricity is renewable, versus 71% in Sweden.
Colombia: 77% (2025) · Sweden: 71.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Colombia carries 2.6 times as much fine dust as in Sweden.
Colombia: 15.1 µg/m³ (2024) · Sweden: 5.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 22 times as likely to be murdered in Colombia as in Sweden.
Colombia: 24.9 per 100k (2023) · Sweden: 1.1 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Colombia are 7.7 times as deadly as in Sweden.
Colombia: 16.2 per 100k (2021) · Sweden: 2.1 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Colombia is on average 20.1 °C warmer than Sweden.
Colombia: 24.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 4.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Colombia gets 3.9 times as much rain as Sweden.
Colombia: 3,155 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 801 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Colombia bigger than Sweden?
Colombia is larger. Sweden fits inside Colombia 2.2 times.
Which has more people, Colombia or Sweden?
Colombia has 5 times as many people as Sweden (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Colombia or Sweden?
People in Sweden live 6.2 years longer than in Colombia. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years in Colombia and 84.1 in Sweden.
Are people taller in Colombia or Sweden?
Men in Sweden are 8.6 cm taller than in Colombia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
