Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Romania fits inside Sweden 2.2 times.
Romania: 238,400 km² (2023) · Sweden: 528,660 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Sweden’s coastline is 14 times as long as Romania’s.
Romania: 225 km (2026 edition) · Sweden: 3,218 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Romania’s highest peak towers 444 m above Sweden’s.
Romania: 2,544 m (2026 edition) · Sweden: 2,100 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Romania has 79% more people than Sweden.
Romania: 19 million (2025) · Sweden: 10.6 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Romania is 3.2 times as densely populated as Sweden.
Romania: 83 per km² (2025) · Sweden: 26 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Sweden are 2.6 cm taller than in Romania.
Romania: 177.8 cm (2019) · Sweden: 180.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Sweden are 1.9 cm taller than in Romania.
Romania: 164.7 cm (2019) · Sweden: 166.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Romania is 2.7 years older than in Sweden.
Romania: 42.6 years (2023) · Sweden: 39.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Sweden have 0.0 more children on average than in Romania.
Romania: 1.39 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 20% in Romania.
Romania: 20.1% (2025) · Sweden: 20.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Sweden has produced 28.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Romania 2.1.
Romania: 2.1 (2025) · Sweden: 28.3 (2025)
How many official languages?
Romania and Sweden are practically level.
Romania: 1 (2026) · Sweden: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Sweden’s economy is 56% larger than Romania’s.
Romania: $429 billion (2025) · Sweden: $669 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Sweden produces 43% more per person than Romania.
Romania: Int$50,895 (2025) · Sweden: Int$72,529 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Romania than in Sweden (Gini 0.5 points higher).
Romania: 29.8 (2023) · Sweden: 29.3 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.7% in Sweden, versus 6.0% in Romania.
Romania: 6% (2025) · Sweden: 8.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Romania and Sweden are practically level.
Romania: 2.3% (2024) · Sweden: 2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Sweden’s price level (US = 100) is 2× Romania’s.
Romania: 44% (2025) · Sweden: 87% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Sweden spends 6.2 times as much on health per person as Romania.
Romania: $1,051 (2023) · Sweden: $6,485 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Sweden live 7.6 years longer than in Romania.
Romania: 76.5 years (2024) · Sweden: 84.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Romania is 3 times as likely to die before turning one as in Sweden.
Romania: 6 per 1,000 (2024) · Sweden: 2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Sweden has 22% more doctors per person than Romania.
Romania: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Sweden: 4.4 per 1,000 (2021)
How common is obesity?
38% of adults in Romania are obese, versus 19% in Sweden.
Romania: 37.7% (2024) · Sweden: 18.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
30% of adults in Romania smoke, versus 20% in Sweden.
Romania: 29.7% (2024) · Sweden: 20.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Sweden rate their lives 0.63 points higher than in Romania.
Romania: 6.63 (2025) · Sweden: 7.26 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Romania drink 2 times as much alcohol as in Sweden.
Romania: 17.1 litres (2023) · Sweden: 8.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Romania has 6% more meat per person than Sweden.
Romania: 72.5 kg (2023) · Sweden: 68.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Romania has 282 kcal more food per person per day than Sweden.
Romania: 3,649 kcal (2023) · Sweden: 3,367 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Romania put in 394 more hours a year than in Sweden.
Romania: 1,826 hours (2023) · Sweden: 1,432 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Sweden went to school 1.2 years longer than in Romania.
Romania: 11.6 years (2023) · Sweden: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Romania welcomed 11% more tourists per resident than Sweden (2019).
Romania: 0.7 (2024) · Sweden: 0.63 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Sweden are online, versus 91% in Romania.
Romania: 91% (2024) · Sweden: 96% (2025)
Who has electricity at home?
Romania and Sweden are practically level.
Romania: 100% (2024) · Sweden: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
89% of people in Sweden live in cities, versus 52% in Romania.
Romania: 52% (2025) · Sweden: 89% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sweden has 141 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Romania 120.
Romania: 120 (2024) · Sweden: 141 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Romania’s railway network is 11% longer than Sweden’s.
Romania: 10,769 km (2021) · Sweden: 9,714 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Sweden fly 13 times as many passengers per resident as those from Romania.
Romania: 0.15 (2023) · Sweden: 1.85 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 69% of Sweden, but only 30% of Romania.
Romania: 30.1% (2023) · Sweden: 68.7% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
Romania and Sweden are nearly identical here.
Romania: 3.6 t (2024) · Sweden: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
71% of Sweden’s electricity is renewable, versus 47% in Romania.
Romania: 47% (2025) · Sweden: 71.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Romania carries 2.5 times as much fine dust as in Sweden.
Romania: 14.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Sweden: 5.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2% more likely to be murdered in Sweden than in Romania.
Romania: 1.1 per 100k (2024) · Sweden: 1.1 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Romania are 4.6 times as deadly as in Sweden.
Romania: 9.6 per 100k (2021) · Sweden: 2.1 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Romania is on average 6.6 °C warmer than Sweden.
Romania: 11°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 4.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Sweden gets 6% more rain than Romania.
Romania: 758 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 801 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Romania bigger than Sweden?
Sweden is larger. Romania fits inside Sweden 2.2 times.
Which has more people, Romania or Sweden?
Romania has 79% more people than Sweden (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Romania or Sweden?
People in Sweden live 7.6 years longer than in Romania. Life expectancy at birth is 76.5 years in Romania and 84.1 in Sweden.
Are people taller in Romania or Sweden?
Men in Sweden are 2.6 cm taller than in Romania (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
