Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sweden fits inside Russia 32 times
Russia: 17,125,200 km² (2024) · Sweden: 528,860 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Russia’s coastline is 12 times as long as Sweden’s
Russia: 37,653 km (2026 edition) · Sweden: 3,218 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Russia’s highest peak towers 3,542 m above Sweden’s
Russia: 5,642 m (2026 edition) · Sweden: 2,100 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 13% of Russia, versus 7.3% of Sweden
Russia: 13.2% (2024) · Sweden: 7.3% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Russia has 14 times as many people as Sweden
Russia: 144 million (2025) · Sweden: 10.6 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Sweden is 3 times as densely populated as Russia
Russia: 9 per km² (2025) · Sweden: 26 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Sweden are 3.8 cm taller than in Russia
Russia: 176.7 cm (2019) · Sweden: 180.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Sweden are 2.1 cm taller than in Russia
Russia: 164.5 cm (2019) · Sweden: 166.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Sweden is 0.46 years older than in Russia
Russia: 39.5 years (2023) · Sweden: 39.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Sweden and Russia are practically level
Russia: 1.42 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 18% in Russia
Russia: 17.8% (2025) · Sweden: 20.9% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Sweden hosts 165 times as many refugees per resident as Russia
Russia: 0.1 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, Russia 2.0
Russia: 2 (2026) · Sweden: 28.3 (2026)
How many official languages?
Russia and Sweden are practically level
Russia: 1 (2026) · Sweden: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Russia’s economy is 3.8 times the size of Sweden’s
Russia: $2.56 trillion (2025) · Sweden: $669 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Sweden produces 46% more per person than Russia
Russia: Int$49,568 (2025) · Sweden: Int$72,529 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Russia than in Sweden (Gini 3.7 points higher)
Russia: 33 (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 0.1% in Russia
Russia: 0.1% (2023) · Sweden: 0.8% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.7% in Sweden, versus 2.1% in Russia
Russia: 2.1% (2025) · Sweden: 8.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Russia spends 7.5% of its GDP on the military, Sweden 2.5%
Russia: 7.5% (2025) · Sweden: 2.5% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Sweden’s central government collects 27% of GDP in tax, Russia’s 11%
Russia: 10.9% (2024) · Sweden: 27.2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Sweden’s price level (US = 100) is 2.5× Russia’s
Russia: 35% (2025) · Sweden: 87% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Sweden spends 6.5 times as much on health per person as Russia
Russia: $1,003 (2023) · Sweden: $6,485 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Sweden live 11 years longer than in Russia
Russia: 73.4 years (2024) · Sweden: 84.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Russia is 2.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in Sweden
Russia: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Sweden: 2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Russia has 16% more doctors per person than Sweden
Russia: 5.1 per 1,000 (2022) · Sweden: 4.4 per 1,000 (2021)
How many hospital beds are there?
Russia has 3.6 times as many hospital beds per person as Sweden
Russia: 6.8 per 1,000 (2023) · Sweden: 1.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Russia is 56% higher than in Sweden
Russia: 19.8 per 100k (2023) · Sweden: 12.7 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
21% of adults in Russia are obese, versus 19% in Sweden
Russia: 21.2% (2024) · Sweden: 18.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
27% of adults in Russia smoke, versus 20% in Sweden
Russia: 27% (2024) · Sweden: 20.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Sweden rate their lives 1.42 points higher than in Russia
Russia: 5.83 (2025) · Sweden: 7.26 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Russia drink 20% more alcohol than in Sweden
Russia: 10.4 litres (2023) · Sweden: 8.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Russia has 24% more meat per person than Sweden
Russia: 84.8 kg (2023) · Sweden: 68.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Russia has 162 kcal more food per person per day than Sweden
Russia: 3,528 kcal (2023) · Sweden: 3,367 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Russia put in 655 more hours a year than in Sweden
Russia: 2,087 hours (2023) · Sweden: 1,432 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Sweden went to school 0.33 years longer than in Russia
Russia: 12.4 years (2023) · Sweden: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Russia: no data · Sweden: 0.63 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Russia has 18 more World Heritage sites than Sweden (33 against 15)
Russia: 33 (2026) · Sweden: 15 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Sweden has won 709 Olympic medals, Russia 539
Russia: 539 (2026 edition) · Sweden: 709 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Sweden are online, versus 94% in Russia
Russia: 94% (2024) · Sweden: 96% (2025)
How fast is home internet?
Russia: no data · Sweden: 248 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Russia and Sweden are practically level
Russia: 100% (2024) · Sweden: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
89% of people in Sweden live in cities, versus 75% in Russia
Russia: 75% (2025) · Sweden: 89% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Russia has 186 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Sweden 141
Russia: 186 (2024) · Sweden: 141 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Russia’s railway network is 8.8 times as long as Sweden’s
Russia: 85,544 km (2021) · Sweden: 9,714 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Sweden fly 2.7 times as many passengers per resident as those from Russia
Russia: 0.69 (2023) · Sweden: 1.85 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 69% of Sweden, but only 51% of Russia
Russia: 50.8% (2024) · Sweden: 68.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Russia emits 3.4 times as much CO₂ as someone in Sweden
Russia: 12.3 t (2024) · Sweden: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
71% of Sweden’s electricity is renewable, versus 17% in Russia
Russia: 17.4% (2025) · Sweden: 71.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Russia carries 2.3 times as much fine dust as in Sweden
Russia: 12.9 µg/m³ (2024) · Sweden: 5.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 6.8 times as likely to be murdered in Russia as in Sweden
Russia: 7.8 per 100k (2024) · Sweden: 1.1 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Russia are 3.9 times as deadly as in Sweden
Russia: 13.4 per 100k (2023) · Sweden: 3.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Sweden is on average 6.9 °C warmer than Russia
Russia: -2.6°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 4.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Sweden gets 37% more rain than Russia
Russia: 586 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 Russia bigger than Sweden?
Russia is larger. Sweden fits inside Russia 32 times.
Which has more people, Russia or Sweden?
Russia has 14 times as many people as Sweden (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Russia or Sweden?
People in Sweden live 11 years longer than in Russia. Life expectancy at birth is 73.4 years in Russia and 84.1 in Sweden.
Are people taller in Russia or Sweden?
Men in Sweden are 3.8 cm taller than in Russia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
