Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sweden is 75% bigger than Italy
Italy: 302,070 km² (2024) · Sweden: 528,860 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Italy’s coastline is 2.4 times as long as Sweden’s
Italy: 7,600 km (2026 edition) · Sweden: 3,218 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Italy’s highest peak towers 2,648 m above Sweden’s
Italy: 4,748 m (2026 edition) · Sweden: 2,100 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 44% of Italy, versus 7.3% of Sweden
Italy: 43.6% (2024) · Sweden: 7.3% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Italy has 5.6 times as many people as Sweden
Italy: 58.9 million (2025) · Sweden: 10.6 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Italy is 7.7 times as densely populated as Sweden
Italy: 199 per km² (2025) · Sweden: 26 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Sweden are 6.0 cm taller than in Italy
Italy: 174.4 cm (2019) · Sweden: 180.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Sweden are 4.9 cm taller than in Italy
Italy: 161.8 cm (2019) · Sweden: 166.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Italy is 7.5 years older than in Sweden
Italy: 47.5 years (2023) · Sweden: 39.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Sweden have 0.3 more children on average than in Italy
Italy: 1.18 children per woman (2024) · Sweden: 1.43 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
25% of people in Italy are 65 or older, versus 21% in Sweden
Italy: 25.1% (2025) · Sweden: 20.9% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Sweden hosts 4.2 times as many refugees per resident as Italy
Italy: 3.3 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, Italy 3.4
Italy: 3.4 (2026) · Sweden: 28.3 (2026)
How many official languages?
Italy and Sweden are practically level
Italy: 1 (2026) · Sweden: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Italy’s economy is 3.8 times the size of Sweden’s
Italy: $2.55 trillion (2025) · Sweden: $669 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Sweden produces 15% more per person than Italy
Italy: Int$62,803 (2025) · Sweden: Int$72,529 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Italy than in Sweden (Gini 5 points higher)
Italy: 34.3 (2023) · Sweden: 29.3 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Italy and Sweden are practically level
Italy: 0.9% (2023) · Sweden: 0.8% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.7% in Sweden, versus 6.4% in Italy
Italy: 6.4% (2025) · Sweden: 8.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Sweden spends 2.5% of its GDP on the military, Italy 1.9%
Italy: 1.9% (2025) · Sweden: 2.5% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Sweden’s central government collects 27% of GDP in tax, Italy’s 26%
Italy: 25.6% (2024) · Sweden: 27.2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Sweden’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× Italy’s
Italy: 69% (2025) · Sweden: 87% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Sweden spends 91% more on health per person than Italy
Italy: $3,398 (2024) · Sweden: $6,485 (2024)
How long do people live?
Sweden and Italy are practically level
Italy: 84 years (2024) · Sweden: 84.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Italy is 15% more likely to die before turning one than in Sweden
Italy: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Sweden: 2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Sweden has 5% more doctors per person than Italy
Italy: 4.2 per 1,000 (2022) · Sweden: 4.4 per 1,000 (2021)
How many hospital beds are there?
Italy has 61% more hospital beds per person than Sweden
Italy: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022) · Sweden: 1.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Sweden is 2.2 times that in Italy
Italy: 5.7 per 100k (2023) · Sweden: 12.7 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
19% of adults in Sweden are obese, versus 18% in Italy
Italy: 17.9% (2024) · Sweden: 18.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
22% of adults in Italy smoke, versus 20% in Sweden
Italy: 22.4% (2024) · Sweden: 20.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Sweden rate their lives 0.68 points higher than in Italy
Italy: 6.57 (2025) · Sweden: 7.26 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Sweden drink 3% more alcohol than in Italy
Italy: 8.4 litres (2023) · Sweden: 8.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Italy has 4% more meat per person than Sweden
Italy: 71.2 kg (2023) · Sweden: 68.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Italy has 386 kcal more food per person per day than Sweden
Italy: 3,753 kcal (2023) · Sweden: 3,367 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Italy put in 270 more hours a year than in Sweden
Italy: 1,701 hours (2023) · Sweden: 1,432 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Sweden went to school 1.9 years longer than in Italy
Italy: 10.8 years (2023) · Sweden: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Italy welcomed 55% more tourists per resident than Sweden (2019)
Italy: 0.98 (2024) · Sweden: 0.63 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Italy has 47 more World Heritage sites than Sweden (62 against 15)
Italy: 62 (2026) · Sweden: 15 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Italy has won 829 Olympic medals, Sweden 709
Italy: 829 (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 Italy
Italy: 89% (2024) · Sweden: 96% (2025)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Italy is 10% faster than in Sweden
Italy: 274 Mbps (2026) · Sweden: 248 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Italy and Sweden are practically level
Italy: 100% (2024) · Sweden: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
89% of people in Sweden live in cities, versus 70% in Italy
Italy: 70% (2025) · Sweden: 89% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sweden has 141 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Italy 133
Italy: 133 (2024) · Sweden: 141 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Italy’s railway network is 78% longer than Sweden’s
Italy: 17,305 km (2021) · Sweden: 9,714 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Sweden fly 5.4 times as many passengers per resident as those from Italy
Italy: 0.34 (2023) · Sweden: 1.85 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 69% of Sweden, but only 32% of Italy
Italy: 31.8% (2024) · Sweden: 68.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Italy emits 42% more CO₂ than someone in Sweden
Italy: 5.1 t (2024) · Sweden: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
71% of Sweden’s electricity is renewable, versus 49% in Italy
Italy: 48.8% (2025) · Sweden: 71.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Italy carries 2.7 times as much fine dust as in Sweden
Italy: 15.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Sweden: 5.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2 times as likely to be murdered in Sweden as in Italy
Italy: 0.6 per 100k (2023) · Sweden: 1.1 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Italy are 2.5 times as deadly as in Sweden
Italy: 8.5 per 100k (2023) · Sweden: 3.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Italy is on average 9.6 °C warmer than Sweden
Italy: 13.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 4.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Italy gets 29% more rain than Sweden
Italy: 1,030 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 Italy bigger than Sweden?
Sweden is larger. Sweden is 75% bigger than Italy.
Which has more people, Italy or Sweden?
Italy has 5.6 times as many people as Sweden (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Italy or Sweden?
Sweden and Italy are practically level. Life expectancy at birth is 84.0 years in Italy and 84.1 in Sweden.
Are people taller in Italy or Sweden?
Men in Sweden are 6.0 cm taller than in Italy (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
