Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Denmark fits inside Sweden 12 times
Denmark: 42,920 km² (2024) · Sweden: 528,860 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Denmark’s coastline is 2.3 times as long as Sweden’s
Denmark: 7,314 km (2026 edition) · Sweden: 3,218 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Sweden’s highest peak towers 1,929 m above Denmark’s
Denmark: 171 m (2026 edition) · Sweden: 2,100 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 65% of Denmark, versus 7.3% of Sweden
Denmark: 65.1% (2024) · Sweden: 7.3% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Sweden has 76% more people than Denmark
Denmark: 6.01 million (2025) · Sweden: 10.6 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Denmark is 5.8 times as densely populated as Sweden
Denmark: 150 per km² (2025) · Sweden: 26 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Denmark are 1.4 cm taller than in Sweden
Denmark: 181.9 cm (2019) · Sweden: 180.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Denmark are 2.8 cm taller than in Sweden
Denmark: 169.5 cm (2019) · Sweden: 166.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Denmark is 1.3 years older than in Sweden
Denmark: 41.2 years (2023) · Sweden: 39.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Denmark and Sweden are practically level
Denmark: 1.47 children per woman (2024) · Sweden: 1.43 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
Denmark and Sweden are practically level
Denmark: 21.1% (2025) · Sweden: 20.9% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Denmark hosts 16% more refugees per resident than Sweden
Denmark: 15.8 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, Denmark 20.0
Denmark: 20 (2026) · Sweden: 28.3 (2026)
How many official languages?
Denmark and Sweden are practically level
Denmark: 1 (2026) · Sweden: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Sweden’s economy is 45% larger than Denmark’s
Denmark: $463 billion (2025) · Sweden: $669 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Denmark produces 15% more per person than Sweden
Denmark: Int$83,218 (2025) · Sweden: Int$72,529 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Denmark than in Sweden (Gini 0.6 points higher)
Denmark: 29.9 (2023) · Sweden: 29.3 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Sweden and Denmark are practically level
Denmark: 0.4% (2023) · Sweden: 0.8% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.7% in Sweden, versus 5.5% in Denmark
Denmark: 5.5% (2025) · Sweden: 8.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Denmark spends 3.3% of its GDP on the military, Sweden 2.5%
Denmark: 3.3% (2025) · Sweden: 2.5% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Denmark’s central government collects 33% of GDP in tax, Sweden’s 27%
Denmark: 33.4% (2024) · Sweden: 27.2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Denmark’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× Sweden’s
Denmark: 92% (2025) · Sweden: 87% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Denmark spends 4% more on health per person than Sweden
Denmark: $6,745 (2024) · Sweden: $6,485 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Sweden live 1.8 years longer than in Denmark
Denmark: 82.3 years (2024) · Sweden: 84.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Denmark is 75% more likely to die before turning one than in Sweden
Denmark: 3.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Sweden: 2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Denmark has 2% more doctors per person than Sweden
Denmark: 4.5 per 1,000 (2021) · Sweden: 4.4 per 1,000 (2021)
How many hospital beds are there?
Denmark has 28% more hospital beds per person than Sweden
Denmark: 2.4 per 1,000 (2023) · Sweden: 1.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Sweden is 48% higher than in Denmark
Denmark: 8.6 per 100k (2023) · Sweden: 12.7 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
19% of adults in Sweden are obese, versus 15% in Denmark
Denmark: 15.2% (2024) · Sweden: 18.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in Sweden smoke, versus 16% in Denmark
Denmark: 15.7% (2024) · Sweden: 20.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Denmark rate their lives 0.28 points higher than in Sweden
Denmark: 7.54 (2025) · Sweden: 7.26 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Denmark drink 10% more alcohol than in Sweden
Denmark: 9.5 litres (2023) · Sweden: 8.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Denmark has 48% more meat per person than Sweden
Denmark: 101.3 kg (2023) · Sweden: 68.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Denmark has 367 kcal more food per person per day than Sweden
Denmark: 3,734 kcal (2023) · Sweden: 3,367 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Sweden put in 52 more hours a year than in Denmark
Denmark: 1,380 hours (2023) · Sweden: 1,432 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Denmark went to school 0.29 years longer than in Sweden
Denmark: 13 years (2023) · Sweden: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Denmark welcomed 3.8 times as many tourists per resident as Sweden (2019)
Denmark: 2.4 (2022) · Sweden: 0.63 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Sweden has 2 more World Heritage sites than Denmark (15 against 13)
Denmark: 13 (2026) · Sweden: 15 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Sweden has won 709 Olympic medals, Denmark 216
Denmark: 216 (2026 edition) · Sweden: 709 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
100% of people in Denmark are online, versus 96% in Sweden
Denmark: 100% (2024) · Sweden: 96% (2025)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Denmark is 26% faster than in Sweden
Denmark: 314 Mbps (2026) · Sweden: 248 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Denmark and Sweden are practically level
Denmark: 100% (2024) · Sweden: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
Sweden and Denmark are practically level
Denmark: 89% (2025) · Sweden: 89% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sweden has 141 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Denmark 127
Denmark: 127 (2024) · Sweden: 141 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Sweden’s railway network is 3.6 times as long as Denmark’s
Denmark: 2,682 km (2020) · Sweden: 9,714 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Denmark: no data · Sweden: 1.85 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 69% of Sweden, but only 16% of Denmark
Denmark: 16% (2024) · Sweden: 68.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Denmark emits 32% more CO₂ than someone in Sweden
Denmark: 4.7 t (2024) · Sweden: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
91% of Denmark’s electricity is renewable, versus 71% in Sweden
Denmark: 91.2% (2025) · Sweden: 71.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Denmark carries 58% more fine dust than in Sweden
Denmark: 9 µg/m³ (2024) · Sweden: 5.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 36% more likely to be murdered in Sweden than in Denmark
Denmark: 0.8 per 100k (2023) · Sweden: 1.1 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Denmark are 24% deadlier than in Sweden
Denmark: 4.2 per 100k (2023) · Sweden: 3.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Denmark is on average 5.2 °C warmer than Sweden
Denmark: 9.6°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 4.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Denmark gets 5% more rain than Sweden
Denmark: 845 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 Denmark bigger than Sweden?
Sweden is larger. Denmark fits inside Sweden 12 times.
Which has more people, Denmark or Sweden?
Sweden has 76% more people than Denmark (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Denmark or Sweden?
People in Sweden live 1.8 years longer than in Denmark. Life expectancy at birth is 82.3 years in Denmark and 84.1 in Sweden.
Are people taller in Denmark or Sweden?
Men in Denmark are 1.4 cm taller than in Sweden (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
