Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Netherlands fits inside Sweden 13 times.
Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2023) · Sweden: 528,660 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Sweden’s coastline is 7.1 times as long as the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition) · Sweden: 3,218 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Sweden’s highest peak towers 1,238 m above the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 862 m (2026 edition) · Sweden: 2,100 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The Netherlands has 71% more people than Sweden.
Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025) · Sweden: 10.6 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 21 times as densely populated as Sweden.
Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025) · Sweden: 26 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Netherlands are 3.3 cm taller than in Sweden.
Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019) · Sweden: 180.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Netherlands are 3.7 cm taller than in Sweden.
Netherlands: 170.4 cm (2019) · Sweden: 166.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the Netherlands is 1.5 years older than in Sweden.
Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023) · Sweden: 39.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
The Netherlands and Sweden are practically level.
Netherlands: 1.43 children per woman (2024) · Sweden: 1.43 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
Sweden and the Netherlands are practically level.
Netherlands: 20.9% (2025) · Sweden: 20.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Sweden has produced 28.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the Netherlands 11.1.
Netherlands: 11.1 (2025) · Sweden: 28.3 (2025)
How many official languages?
The Netherlands and Sweden are practically level.
Netherlands: 1 (2026) · Sweden: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Netherlands’ economy is 2 times the size of Sweden’s.
Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025) · Sweden: $669 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Netherlands produces 20% more per person than Sweden.
Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025) · Sweden: Int$72,529 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Sweden than in the Netherlands (Gini 3.6 points higher).
Netherlands: 25.7 (2021) · Sweden: 29.3 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.7% in Sweden, versus 3.9% in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3.9% (2025) · Sweden: 8.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Sweden and the Netherlands are practically level.
Netherlands: 1.9% (2024) · Sweden: 2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Sweden’s price level (US = 100) is 1× the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 84% (2025) · Sweden: 87% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Netherlands spends 6% more on health per person than Sweden.
Netherlands: $6,845 (2024) · Sweden: $6,485 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Sweden live 2.1 years longer than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 82 years (2024) · Sweden: 84.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the Netherlands is 70% more likely to die before turning one than in Sweden.
Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Sweden: 2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Sweden has 14% more doctors per person than the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3.9 per 1,000 (2022) · Sweden: 4.4 per 1,000 (2021)
How common is obesity?
19% of adults in Sweden are obese, versus 17% in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 16.9% (2024) · Sweden: 18.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
The Netherlands and Sweden are practically level.
Netherlands: 20.5% (2024) · Sweden: 20.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
Sweden and the Netherlands are practically level.
Netherlands: 7.22 (2025) · Sweden: 7.26 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Sweden drink 1% more alcohol than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023) · Sweden: 8.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The Netherlands has 5% more meat per person than Sweden.
Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023) · Sweden: 68.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The Netherlands has 100 kcal more food per person per day than Sweden.
Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023) · Sweden: 3,367 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the Netherlands put in 7 more hours a year than in Sweden.
Netherlands: 1,439 hours (2023) · Sweden: 1,432 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Sweden went to school 0.07 years longer than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023) · Sweden: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The Netherlands welcomed 44% more tourists per resident than Sweden (2019).
Netherlands: 0.91 (2022) · Sweden: 0.63 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in the Netherlands are online, versus 96% in Sweden.
Netherlands: 97% (2024) · Sweden: 96% (2025)
Who has electricity at home?
The Netherlands and Sweden are practically level.
Netherlands: 100% (2024) · Sweden: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 89% in Sweden.
Netherlands: 96% (2025) · Sweden: 89% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sweden has 141 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the Netherlands 129.
Netherlands: 129 (2024) · Sweden: 141 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Sweden’s railway network is 3.2 times as long as the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021) · Sweden: 9,714 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Netherlands fly 24% more passengers per resident than those from Sweden.
Netherlands: 2.29 (2023) · Sweden: 1.85 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 69% of Sweden, but only 11% of the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 11.1% (2023) · Sweden: 68.7% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the Netherlands emits 75% more CO₂ than someone in Sweden.
Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024) · Sweden: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
71% of Sweden’s electricity is renewable, versus 51% in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 51.2% (2025) · Sweden: 71.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the Netherlands carries 68% more fine dust than in Sweden.
Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024) · Sweden: 5.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 66% more likely to be murdered in Sweden than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · Sweden: 1.1 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the Netherlands are 62% deadlier than in Sweden.
Netherlands: 3.4 per 100k (2021) · Sweden: 2.1 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The Netherlands is on average 6.9 °C warmer than Sweden.
Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 4.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The Netherlands gets 11% more rain than Sweden.
Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 801 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the Netherlands bigger than Sweden?
Sweden is larger. The Netherlands fits inside Sweden 13 times.
Which has more people, the Netherlands or Sweden?
The Netherlands has 71% more people than Sweden (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the Netherlands or Sweden?
People in Sweden live 2.1 years longer than in the Netherlands. Life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years in the Netherlands and 84.1 in Sweden.
Are people taller in the Netherlands or Sweden?
Men in the Netherlands are 3.3 cm taller than in Sweden (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
