Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sweden is 75% bigger than Italy.
Italy: 302,070 km² (2023) · Sweden: 528,660 km² (2023)
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)
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 Nobel laureates were born there?
Sweden has produced 28.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Italy 3.4.
Italy: 3.4 (2025) · Sweden: 28.3 (2025)
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 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 and Italy are practically level.
Italy: 1.6% (2024) · Sweden: 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 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)
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)
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 33% of Italy.
Italy: 32.9% (2023) · Sweden: 68.7% (2023)
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 2.4 times as deadly as in Sweden.
Italy: 5 per 100k (2021) · Sweden: 2.1 per 100k (2021)
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)
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).
