Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Norway is 18% bigger than Sweden
Norway: 624,500 km² (2024) · Sweden: 528,860 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Norway’s coastline is 7.8 times as long as Sweden’s
Norway: 25,148 km (2026 edition) · Sweden: 3,218 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Norway’s highest peak towers 369 m above Sweden’s
Norway: 2,469 m (2026 edition) · Sweden: 2,100 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 7.3% of Sweden, versus 2.7% of Norway
Norway: 2.7% (2024) · Sweden: 7.3% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Sweden has 89% more people than Norway
Norway: 5.61 million (2025) · Sweden: 10.6 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Sweden is 69% more densely populated than Norway
Norway: 15 per km² (2025) · Sweden: 26 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Norway and Sweden are practically level
Norway: 180.5 cm (2019) · Sweden: 180.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Sweden and Norway are practically level
Norway: 166.5 cm (2019) · Sweden: 166.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Sweden is 0.37 years older than in Norway
Norway: 39.5 years (2023) · Sweden: 39.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Norway and Sweden are practically level
Norway: 1.45 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 19% in Norway
Norway: 19.1% (2025) · Sweden: 20.9% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Norway hosts 63% more refugees per resident than Sweden
Norway: 22.1 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, Norway 23.2
Norway: 23.2 (2026) · Sweden: 28.3 (2026)
How many official languages?
Norway has 3 official languages, Sweden 1
Norway: 3 (2026) · Sweden: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Sweden’s economy is 26% larger than Norway’s
Norway: $531 billion (2025) · Sweden: $669 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Norway produces 43% more per person than Sweden
Norway: Int$104,044 (2025) · Sweden: Int$72,529 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Sweden than in Norway (Gini 2.8 points higher)
Norway: 26.5 (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 0.2% in Norway
Norway: 0.2% (2023) · Sweden: 0.8% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.7% in Sweden, versus 4.6% in Norway
Norway: 4.6% (2025) · Sweden: 8.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Norway spends 3.3% of its GDP on the military, Sweden 2.5%
Norway: 3.3% (2025) · Sweden: 2.5% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Sweden’s central government collects 27% of GDP in tax, Norway’s 25%
Norway: 24.5% (2024) · Sweden: 27.2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Norway’s price level (US = 100) is 1× Sweden’s
Norway: 91% (2025) · Sweden: 87% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Norway spends 28% more on health per person than Sweden
Norway: $8,296 (2023) · Sweden: $6,485 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Sweden live 0.9 years longer than in Norway
Norway: 83.2 years (2024) · Sweden: 84.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
Norway and Sweden are nearly identical here
Norway: 2 per 1,000 (2024) · Sweden: 2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Norway has 13% more doctors per person than Sweden
Norway: 5 per 1,000 (2023) · Sweden: 4.4 per 1,000 (2021)
How many hospital beds are there?
Norway has 74% more hospital beds per person than Sweden
Norway: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Sweden: 1.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Sweden is 9% higher than in Norway
Norway: 11.6 per 100k (2023) · Sweden: 12.7 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
21% of adults in Norway are obese, versus 19% in Sweden
Norway: 20.7% (2024) · Sweden: 18.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in Sweden smoke, versus 13% in Norway
Norway: 12.9% (2024) · Sweden: 20.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
Sweden and Norway are practically level
Norway: 7.24 (2025) · Sweden: 7.26 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Sweden drink 25% more alcohol than in Norway
Norway: 7 litres (2023) · Sweden: 8.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Norway has 3% more meat per person than Sweden
Norway: 70.4 kg (2023) · Sweden: 68.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Norway has 109 kcal more food per person per day than Sweden
Norway: 3,476 kcal (2023) · Sweden: 3,367 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Sweden put in 19 more hours a year than in Norway
Norway: 1,412 hours (2023) · Sweden: 1,432 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Norway went to school 0.38 years longer than in Sweden
Norway: 13.1 years (2023) · Sweden: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Norway welcomed 44% more tourists per resident than Sweden (2019)
Norway: 0.91 (2022) · Sweden: 0.63 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Sweden has 7 more World Heritage sites than Norway (15 against 8)
Norway: 8 (2026) · Sweden: 15 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Sweden has won 709 Olympic medals, Norway 616
Norway: 616 (2026 edition) · Sweden: 709 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
99% of people in Norway are online, versus 96% in Sweden
Norway: 99% (2024) · Sweden: 96% (2025)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Sweden is 9% faster than in Norway
Norway: 228 Mbps (2026) · Sweden: 248 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Norway and Sweden are practically level
Norway: 100% (2024) · Sweden: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
89% of people in Sweden live in cities, versus 84% in Norway
Norway: 84% (2025) · Sweden: 89% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sweden has 141 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Norway 109
Norway: 109 (2024) · Sweden: 141 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Sweden’s railway network is 2.5 times as long as Norway’s
Norway: 3,885 km (2021) · Sweden: 9,714 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Norway: no data · 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 Norway
Norway: 33.2% (2024) · Sweden: 68.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Norway emits 86% more CO₂ than someone in Sweden
Norway: 6.7 t (2024) · Sweden: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
99% of Norway’s electricity is renewable, versus 71% in Sweden
Norway: 99% (2025) · Sweden: 71.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Norway carries 18% more fine dust than in Sweden
Norway: 6.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Sweden: 5.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 58% more likely to be murdered in Sweden than in Norway
Norway: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · Sweden: 1.1 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Sweden are 17% deadlier than in Norway
Norway: 2.9 per 100k (2023) · Sweden: 3.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Sweden is on average 2.7 °C warmer than Norway
Norway: 1.6°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 4.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Norway gets 57% more rain than Sweden
Norway: 1,259 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 Norway bigger than Sweden?
Norway is larger. Norway is 18% bigger than Sweden.
Which has more people, Norway or Sweden?
Sweden has 89% more people than Norway (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Norway or Sweden?
People in Sweden live 0.9 years longer than in Norway. Life expectancy at birth is 83.2 years in Norway and 84.1 in Sweden.
Are people taller in Norway or Sweden?
Norway and Sweden are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
