Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sweden is 68% bigger than Poland.
Poland: 313,930 km² (2023) · Sweden: 528,660 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Sweden’s coastline is 7.3 times as long as Poland’s.
Poland: 440 km (2026 edition) · Sweden: 3,218 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Poland’s highest peak towers 399 m above Sweden’s.
Poland: 2,499 m (2026 edition) · Sweden: 2,100 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Poland has 3.4 times as many people as Sweden.
Poland: 36.4 million (2025) · Sweden: 10.6 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Poland is 4.6 times as densely populated as Sweden.
Poland: 119 per km² (2025) · Sweden: 26 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Poland and Sweden are practically level.
Poland: 180.7 cm (2019) · Sweden: 180.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Sweden are 0.9 cm taller than in Poland.
Poland: 165.8 cm (2019) · Sweden: 166.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Poland is 1.4 years older than in Sweden.
Poland: 41.3 years (2023) · Sweden: 39.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Sweden have 0.3 more children on average than in Poland.
Poland: 1.14 children per woman (2024) · Sweden: 1.43 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
Sweden and Poland are practically level.
Poland: 20.8% (2025) · Sweden: 20.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Sweden has produced 28.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Poland 7.7.
Poland: 7.7 (2025) · Sweden: 28.3 (2025)
How many official languages?
Poland and Sweden are practically level.
Poland: 1 (2026) · Sweden: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Poland’s economy is 55% larger than Sweden’s.
Poland: $1.04 trillion (2025) · Sweden: $669 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Sweden produces 34% more per person than Poland.
Poland: Int$54,262 (2025) · Sweden: Int$72,529 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Sweden than in Poland (Gini 0.8 points higher).
Poland: 28.5 (2023) · Sweden: 29.3 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.7% in Sweden, versus 3.0% in Poland.
Poland: 3% (2025) · Sweden: 8.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Poland spends 4.2% of its GDP on the military, Sweden 2.0%.
Poland: 4.2% (2024) · Sweden: 2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Sweden’s price level (US = 100) is 1.7× Poland’s.
Poland: 52% (2025) · Sweden: 87% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Sweden spends 3.2 times as much on health per person as Poland.
Poland: $2,014 (2024) · Sweden: $6,485 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Sweden live 5.7 years longer than in Poland.
Poland: 78.4 years (2024) · Sweden: 84.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Poland is 80% more likely to die before turning one than in Sweden.
Poland: 3.6 per 1,000 (2024) · Sweden: 2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Sweden has 9% more doctors per person than Poland.
Poland: 4 per 1,000 (2023) · Sweden: 4.4 per 1,000 (2021)
How common is obesity?
26% of adults in Poland are obese, versus 19% in Sweden.
Poland: 25.9% (2024) · Sweden: 18.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
22% of adults in Poland smoke, versus 20% in Sweden.
Poland: 21.7% (2024) · Sweden: 20.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Sweden rate their lives 0.49 points higher than in Poland.
Poland: 6.77 (2025) · Sweden: 7.26 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Poland drink 33% more alcohol than in Sweden.
Poland: 11.5 litres (2023) · Sweden: 8.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Poland has 22% more meat per person than Sweden.
Poland: 83.3 kg (2023) · Sweden: 68.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Poland has 363 kcal more food per person per day than Sweden.
Poland: 3,730 kcal (2023) · Sweden: 3,367 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Poland put in 375 more hours a year than in Sweden.
Poland: 1,807 hours (2023) · Sweden: 1,432 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Poland went to school 0.47 years longer than in Sweden.
Poland: 13.2 years (2023) · Sweden: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Sweden welcomed 17% more tourists per resident than Poland (2019).
Poland: 0.54 (2024) · Sweden: 0.63 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Sweden are online, versus 89% in Poland.
Poland: 89% (2024) · Sweden: 96% (2025)
Who has electricity at home?
Poland and Sweden are practically level.
Poland: 100% (2024) · Sweden: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
89% of people in Sweden live in cities, versus 60% in Poland.
Poland: 60% (2025) · Sweden: 89% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sweden has 141 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Poland 138.
Poland: 138 (2024) · Sweden: 141 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Poland’s railway network is 92% longer than Sweden’s.
Poland: 18,620 km (2021) · Sweden: 9,714 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Sweden fly 7.7 times as many passengers per resident as those from Poland.
Poland: 0.24 (2023) · Sweden: 1.85 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 69% of Sweden, but only 31% of Poland.
Poland: 31.1% (2023) · Sweden: 68.7% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Poland emits 2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Sweden.
Poland: 7.1 t (2024) · Sweden: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
71% of Sweden’s electricity is renewable, versus 32% in Poland.
Poland: 31.5% (2025) · Sweden: 71.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Poland carries 2.7 times as much fine dust as in Sweden.
Poland: 15.6 µg/m³ (2024) · Sweden: 5.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 43% more likely to be murdered in Sweden than in Poland.
Poland: 0.8 per 100k (2023) · Sweden: 1.1 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Poland are 3.1 times as deadly as in Sweden.
Poland: 6.5 per 100k (2021) · Sweden: 2.1 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Poland is on average 5.4 °C warmer than Sweden.
Poland: 9.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 4.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Sweden gets 5% more rain than Poland.
Poland: 763 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 801 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Poland bigger than Sweden?
Sweden is larger. Sweden is 68% bigger than Poland.
Which has more people, Poland or Sweden?
Poland has 3.4 times as many people as Sweden (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Poland or Sweden?
People in Sweden live 5.7 years longer than in Poland. Life expectancy at birth is 78.4 years in Poland and 84.1 in Sweden.
Are people taller in Poland or Sweden?
Poland and Sweden are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
