Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Korea fits inside Sweden 5.3 times.
South Korea: 100,450 km² (2023) · Sweden: 528,660 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Sweden’s coastline is 33% longer than South Korea’s.
South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition) · Sweden: 3,218 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Sweden’s highest peak towers 150 m above South Korea’s.
South Korea: 1,950 m (2026 edition) · Sweden: 2,100 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
South Korea has 4.9 times as many people as Sweden.
South Korea: 51.7 million (2025) · Sweden: 10.6 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Korea is 20 times as densely populated as Sweden.
South Korea: 530 per km² (2025) · Sweden: 26 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Sweden are 4.9 cm taller than in South Korea.
South Korea: 175.5 cm (2019) · Sweden: 180.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Sweden are 3.4 cm taller than in South Korea.
South Korea: 163.2 cm (2019) · Sweden: 166.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Korea is 4.6 years older than in Sweden.
South Korea: 44.5 years (2023) · Sweden: 39.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Sweden have 0.7 more children on average than in South Korea.
South Korea: 0.75 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 South Korea.
South Korea: 20.3% (2025) · Sweden: 20.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Sweden has produced 28.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, South Korea 0.6.
South Korea: 0.6 (2025) · Sweden: 28.3 (2025)
How many official languages?
South Korea and Sweden are practically level.
South Korea: 1 (2026) · Sweden: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Korea’s economy is 2.8 times the size of Sweden’s.
South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025) · Sweden: $669 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Sweden produces 15% more per person than South Korea.
South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025) · Sweden: Int$72,529 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Korea than in Sweden (Gini 3.6 points higher).
South Korea: 32.9 (2021) · Sweden: 29.3 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.7% in Sweden, versus 2.7% in South Korea.
South Korea: 2.7% (2025) · Sweden: 8.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
South Korea spends 2.6% of its GDP on the military, Sweden 2.0%.
South Korea: 2.6% (2024) · Sweden: 2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Sweden’s price level (US = 100) is 1.5× South Korea’s.
South Korea: 57% (2025) · Sweden: 87% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Sweden spends 2.1 times as much on health per person as South Korea.
South Korea: $3,137 (2024) · Sweden: $6,485 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Sweden live 0.43 years longer than in South Korea.
South Korea: 83.6 years (2024) · Sweden: 84.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in South Korea is 15% more likely to die before turning one than in Sweden.
South Korea: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Sweden: 2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Sweden has 69% more doctors per person than South Korea.
South Korea: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Sweden: 4.4 per 1,000 (2021)
How common is obesity?
19% of adults in Sweden are obese, versus 7.5% in South Korea.
South Korea: 7.5% (2024) · Sweden: 18.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in Sweden smoke, versus 19% in South Korea.
South Korea: 18.6% (2024) · Sweden: 20.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Sweden rate their lives 1.21 points higher than in South Korea.
South Korea: 6.04 (2025) · Sweden: 7.26 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Sweden drink 5% more alcohol than in South Korea.
South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023) · Sweden: 8.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Korea has 23% more meat per person than Sweden.
South Korea: 84 kg (2023) · Sweden: 68.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Korea has 64 kcal more food per person per day than Sweden.
South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023) · Sweden: 3,367 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in South Korea put in 479 more hours a year than in Sweden.
South Korea: 1,910 hours (2023) · Sweden: 1,432 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Sweden and South Korea are practically level.
South Korea: 12.7 years (2023) · Sweden: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Sweden welcomed 2 times as many tourists per resident as South Korea (2019).
South Korea: 0.32 (2024) · Sweden: 0.63 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in South Korea are online, versus 96% in Sweden.
South Korea: 98% (2024) · Sweden: 96% (2025)
Who has electricity at home?
South Korea and Sweden are practically level.
South Korea: 100% (2024) · Sweden: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
89% of people in Sweden live in cities, versus 81% in South Korea.
South Korea: 81% (2025) · Sweden: 89% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Korea has 173 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Sweden 141.
South Korea: 173 (2024) · Sweden: 141 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Sweden’s railway network is 2.3 times as long as South Korea’s.
South Korea: 4,309 km (2021) · Sweden: 9,714 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Sweden fly 25% more passengers per resident than those from South Korea.
South Korea: 1.48 (2023) · Sweden: 1.85 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 69% of Sweden, but only 64% of South Korea.
South Korea: 64.1% (2023) · Sweden: 68.7% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Korea emits 3.1 times as much CO₂ as someone in Sweden.
South Korea: 11.3 t (2024) · Sweden: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
71% of Sweden’s electricity is renewable, versus 10% in South Korea.
South Korea: 10.4% (2025) · Sweden: 71.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Korea carries 3.7 times as much fine dust as in Sweden.
South Korea: 21 µg/m³ (2024) · Sweden: 5.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.4 times as likely to be murdered in Sweden as in South Korea.
South Korea: 0.5 per 100k (2023) · Sweden: 1.1 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Korea are 3.3 times as deadly as in Sweden.
South Korea: 6.9 per 100k (2021) · Sweden: 2.1 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
South Korea is on average 8.8 °C warmer than Sweden.
South Korea: 13.2°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 4.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
South Korea gets 58% more rain than Sweden.
South Korea: 1,265 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 801 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is South Korea bigger than Sweden?
Sweden is larger. South Korea fits inside Sweden 5.3 times.
Which has more people, South Korea or Sweden?
South Korea has 4.9 times as many people as Sweden (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, South Korea or Sweden?
People in Sweden live 0.43 years longer than in South Korea. Life expectancy at birth is 83.6 years in South Korea and 84.1 in Sweden.
Are people taller in South Korea or Sweden?
Men in Sweden are 4.9 cm taller than in South Korea (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
