Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Israel fits inside Sweden 24 times
Israel: 22,070 km² (2024) · Sweden: 528,860 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Sweden’s coastline is 12 times as long as Israel’s
Israel: 273 km (2026 edition) · Sweden: 3,218 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Israel’s highest peak towers 136 m above Sweden’s
Israel: 2,236 m (2026 edition) · Sweden: 2,100 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 24% of Israel, versus 7.3% of Sweden
Israel: 23.8% (2024) · Sweden: 7.3% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Sweden has 5% more people than Israel
Israel: 10.1 million (2025) · Sweden: 10.6 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Israel is 18 times as densely populated as Sweden
Israel: 468 per km² (2025) · Sweden: 26 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Sweden are 4.5 cm taller than in Israel
Israel: 176 cm (2019) · Sweden: 180.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Sweden are 4.4 cm taller than in Israel
Israel: 162.2 cm (2019) · Sweden: 166.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Sweden is 11 years older than in Israel
Israel: 29.2 years (2023) · Sweden: 39.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Israel have 1.4 more children on average than in Sweden
Israel: 2.87 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 13% in Israel
Israel: 12.7% (2025) · Sweden: 20.9% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Sweden hosts 108 times as many refugees per resident as Israel
Israel: 0.1 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, Israel 5.9
Israel: 5.9 (2026) · Sweden: 28.3 (2026)
How many official languages?
Israel has 2 official languages, Sweden 1
Israel: 2 (2026) · Sweden: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Sweden’s economy is 10% larger than Israel’s
Israel: $611 billion (2025) · Sweden: $669 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Sweden produces 21% more per person than Israel
Israel: Int$59,717 (2025) · Sweden: Int$72,529 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Israel than in Sweden (Gini 9 points higher)
Israel: 38.3 (2022) · Sweden: 29.3 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Sweden and Israel are practically level
Israel: 0.4% (2022) · Sweden: 0.8% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.7% in Sweden, versus 3.5% in Israel
Israel: 3.5% (2025) · Sweden: 8.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Israel spends 7.8% of its GDP on the military, Sweden 2.5%
Israel: 7.8% (2025) · Sweden: 2.5% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Sweden’s central government collects 27% of GDP in tax, Israel’s 23%
Israel: 23.2% (2024) · Sweden: 27.2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Israel’s price level (US = 100) is 1.2× Sweden’s
Israel: 101% (2025) · Sweden: 87% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Sweden spends 65% more on health per person than Israel
Israel: $3,928 (2023) · Sweden: $6,485 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Sweden live 0.87 years longer than in Israel
Israel: 83.2 years (2024) · Sweden: 84.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Israel is 35% more likely to die before turning one than in Sweden
Israel: 2.7 per 1,000 (2024) · Sweden: 2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Sweden has 16% more doctors per person than Israel
Israel: 3.8 per 1,000 (2023) · Sweden: 4.4 per 1,000 (2021)
How many hospital beds are there?
Israel has 65% more hospital beds per person than Sweden
Israel: 3.1 per 1,000 (2023) · Sweden: 1.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Sweden is 84% higher than in Israel
Israel: 6.9 per 100k (2023) · Sweden: 12.7 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
23% of adults in Israel are obese, versus 19% in Sweden
Israel: 23.3% (2024) · Sweden: 18.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Israel smoke, versus 20% in Sweden
Israel: 21.2% (2024) · Sweden: 20.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Sweden rate their lives 0.07 points higher than in Israel
Israel: 7.19 (2025) · Sweden: 7.26 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Sweden drink 2.1 times as much alcohol as in Israel
Israel: 4.2 litres (2023) · Sweden: 8.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Israel has 59% more meat per person than Sweden
Israel: 108.7 kg (2023) · Sweden: 68.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Israel has 387 kcal more food per person per day than Sweden
Israel: 3,754 kcal (2023) · Sweden: 3,367 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Israel put in 459 more hours a year than in Sweden
Israel: 1,890 hours (2023) · Sweden: 1,432 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Israel went to school 0.79 years longer than in Sweden
Israel: 13.5 years (2023) · Sweden: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Sweden welcomed 6.6 times as many tourists per resident as Israel (2019)
Israel: 0.1 (2024) · Sweden: 0.63 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Sweden has 6 more World Heritage sites than Israel (15 against 9)
Israel: 9 (2026) · Sweden: 15 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Sweden has won 709 Olympic medals, Israel 20
Israel: 20 (2026 edition) · Sweden: 709 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Sweden are online, versus 88% in Israel
Israel: 88% (2024) · Sweden: 96% (2025)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Israel is 58% faster than in Sweden
Israel: 392 Mbps (2026) · Sweden: 248 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Israel and Sweden are practically level
Israel: 100% (2024) · Sweden: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Israel live in cities, versus 89% in Sweden
Israel: 92% (2025) · Sweden: 89% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Israel has 177 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Sweden 141
Israel: 177 (2024) · Sweden: 141 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Sweden’s railway network is 5.6 times as long as Israel’s
Israel: 1,720 km (2021) · Sweden: 9,714 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Sweden fly 2.5 times as many passengers per resident as those from Israel
Israel: 0.73 (2023) · Sweden: 1.85 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 69% of Sweden, but only 6.8% of Israel
Israel: 6.8% (2024) · Sweden: 68.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Israel emits 56% more CO₂ than someone in Sweden
Israel: 5.6 t (2024) · Sweden: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
71% of Sweden’s electricity is renewable, versus 17% in Israel
Israel: 16.9% (2025) · Sweden: 71.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Israel carries 3.6 times as much fine dust as in Sweden
Israel: 20.4 µg/m³ (2024) · Sweden: 5.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 42% more likely to be murdered in Israel than in Sweden
Israel: 1.6 per 100k (2022) · Sweden: 1.1 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Israel are 2 times as deadly as in Sweden
Israel: 6.8 per 100k (2023) · Sweden: 3.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Israel is on average 16.8 °C warmer than Sweden
Israel: 21.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 4.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Sweden gets 3.9 times as much rain as Israel
Israel: 205 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 Israel bigger than Sweden?
Sweden is larger. Israel fits inside Sweden 24 times.
Which has more people, Israel or Sweden?
Sweden has 5% more people than Israel (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Israel or Sweden?
People in Sweden live 0.87 years longer than in Israel. Life expectancy at birth is 83.2 years in Israel and 84.1 in Sweden.
Are people taller in Israel or Sweden?
Men in Sweden are 4.5 cm taller than in Israel (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
