Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
France is 15% bigger than Sweden
France: 606,410 km² (2024) · Sweden: 528,860 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
France’s coastline is 51% longer than Sweden’s
France: 4,853 km (2026 edition) · Sweden: 3,218 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
France’s highest peak towers 2,710 m above Sweden’s
France: 4,810 m (2026 edition) · Sweden: 2,100 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 53% of France, versus 7.3% of Sweden
France: 52.8% (2024) · Sweden: 7.3% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
France has 6.5 times as many people as Sweden
France: 68.7 million (2025) · Sweden: 10.6 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
France is 4.9 times as densely populated as Sweden
France: 128 per km² (2025) · Sweden: 26 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Sweden are 1.9 cm taller than in France
France: 178.6 cm (2019) · Sweden: 180.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Sweden are 2.2 cm taller than in France
France: 164.5 cm (2019) · Sweden: 166.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in France is 1.9 years older than in Sweden
France: 41.8 years (2023) · Sweden: 39.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in France have 0.2 more children on average than in Sweden
France: 1.61 children per woman (2024) · Sweden: 1.43 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
23% of people in France are 65 or older, versus 21% in Sweden
France: 22.5% (2025) · Sweden: 20.9% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Sweden hosts 19% more refugees per resident than France
France: 11.5 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, France 9.5
France: 9.5 (2026) · Sweden: 28.3 (2026)
How many official languages?
France and Sweden are practically level
France: 1 (2026) · Sweden: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
France’s economy is 5 times the size of Sweden’s
France: $3.37 trillion (2025) · Sweden: $669 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Sweden produces 13% more per person than France
France: Int$63,975 (2025) · Sweden: Int$72,529 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in France than in Sweden (Gini 2.5 points higher)
France: 31.8 (2023) · 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 0.1% in France
France: 0.1% (2023) · Sweden: 0.8% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.7% in Sweden, versus 7.5% in France
France: 7.5% (2025) · Sweden: 8.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Sweden and France are practically level
France: 2% (2025) · Sweden: 2.5% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Sweden’s central government collects 27% of GDP in tax, France’s 23%
France: 22.8% (2024) · Sweden: 27.2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Sweden’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× France’s
France: 77% (2025) · Sweden: 87% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Sweden spends 22% more on health per person than France
France: $5,327 (2024) · Sweden: $6,485 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Sweden live 1.1 years longer than in France
France: 83 years (2024) · Sweden: 84.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in France is 70% more likely to die before turning one than in Sweden
France: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Sweden: 2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Sweden has 34% more doctors per person than France
France: 3.3 per 1,000 (2022) · Sweden: 4.4 per 1,000 (2021)
How many hospital beds are there?
France has 3 times as many hospital beds per person as Sweden
France: 5.7 per 1,000 (2022) · Sweden: 1.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in France is 9% higher than in Sweden
France: 13.9 per 100k (2023) · Sweden: 12.7 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
19% of adults in Sweden are obese, versus 13% in France
France: 12.5% (2024) · Sweden: 18.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
34% of adults in France smoke, versus 20% in Sweden
France: 33.6% (2024) · Sweden: 20.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Sweden rate their lives 0.67 points higher than in France
France: 6.59 (2025) · Sweden: 7.26 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in France drink 29% more alcohol than in Sweden
France: 11.2 litres (2023) · Sweden: 8.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
France has 17% more meat per person than Sweden
France: 80.3 kg (2023) · Sweden: 68.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
France has 123 kcal more food per person per day than Sweden
France: 3,490 kcal (2023) · Sweden: 3,367 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in France put in 56 more hours a year than in Sweden
France: 1,487 hours (2023) · Sweden: 1,432 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Sweden went to school 0.97 year longer than in France
France: 11.8 years (2023) · Sweden: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
France welcomed 2.1 times as many tourists per resident as Sweden (2019)
France: 1.35 (2019) · Sweden: 0.63 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
France has 41 more World Heritage sites than Sweden (56 against 15)
France: 56 (2026) · Sweden: 15 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
France has won 985 Olympic medals, Sweden 709
France: 985 (2026 edition) · Sweden: 709 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Sweden are online, versus 89% in France
France: 89% (2024) · Sweden: 96% (2025)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in France is 85% faster than in Sweden
France: 460 Mbps (2026) · Sweden: 248 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
France and Sweden are practically level
France: 100% (2024) · Sweden: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
89% of people in Sweden live in cities, versus 79% in France
France: 79% (2025) · Sweden: 89% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sweden has 141 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, France 117
France: 117 (2023) · Sweden: 141 (2024)
How much railway is there?
France’s railway network is 2.9 times as long as Sweden’s
France: 27,716 km (2021) · Sweden: 9,714 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Sweden fly 2 times as many passengers per resident as those from France
France: 0.94 (2023) · Sweden: 1.85 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 69% of Sweden, but only 33% of France
France: 32.9% (2024) · Sweden: 68.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in France emits 11% more CO₂ than someone in Sweden
France: 4 t (2024) · Sweden: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
71% of Sweden’s electricity is renewable, versus 26% in France
France: 26.1% (2025) · Sweden: 71.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in France carries 56% more fine dust than in Sweden
France: 8.9 µg/m³ (2024) · Sweden: 5.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 18% more likely to be murdered in France than in Sweden
France: 1.3 per 100k (2024) · Sweden: 1.1 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in France are 2.2 times as deadly as in Sweden
France: 7.6 per 100k (2023) · Sweden: 3.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
France is on average 9.8 °C warmer than Sweden
France: 14.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 4.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
France gets 45% more rain than Sweden
France: 1,158 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 France bigger than Sweden?
France is larger. France is 15% bigger than Sweden.
Which has more people, France or Sweden?
France has 6.5 times as many people as Sweden (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, France or Sweden?
People in Sweden live 1.1 years longer than in France. Life expectancy at birth is 83.0 years in France and 84.1 in Sweden.
Are people taller in France or Sweden?
Men in Sweden are 1.9 cm taller than in France (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
