Sweden’s coastline is 33% longer than South Korea’s

South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition) · Sweden: 3,218 km (2026 edition)

Sweden’s highest peak towers 150 m above South Korea’s

South Korea: 1,950 m (2026 edition) · Sweden: 2,100 m (2026 edition)

Farmland covers 16% of South Korea, versus 7.3% of Sweden

South Korea: 16% (2024) · Sweden: 7.3% (2024)

South Korea has 4.9 times as many people as Sweden

South Korea: 51.7 million (2025) · Sweden: 10.6 million (2025)

South Korea is 20 times as densely populated as Sweden

South Korea: 530 per km² (2025) · Sweden: 26 per km² (2025)

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)

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)

21% of people in Sweden are 65 or older, versus 20% in South Korea

South Korea: 20.3% (2025) · Sweden: 20.9% (2025)

Sweden hosts 160 times as many refugees per resident as South Korea

South Korea: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025) · Sweden: 13.6 per 1,000 (2025)

Sweden has produced 28.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, South Korea 0.6

South Korea: 0.6 (2026) · Sweden: 28.3 (2026)

South Korea and Sweden are practically level

South Korea: 1 (2026) · Sweden: 1 (2026)

South Korea’s economy is 2.8 times the size of Sweden’s

South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025) · Sweden: $669 billion (2025)

Sweden produces 15% more per person than South Korea

South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025) · Sweden: Int$72,529 (2025)

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)

0.8% of people in Sweden live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.1% in South Korea

South Korea: 0.1% (2021) · Sweden: 0.8% (2023)

Unemployment is 8.7% in Sweden, versus 2.7% in South Korea

South Korea: 2.7% (2025) · Sweden: 8.7% (2025)

South Korea and Sweden are practically level

South Korea: 2.6% (2025) · Sweden: 2.5% (2025)

Sweden’s central government collects 27% of GDP in tax, South Korea’s 13%

South Korea: 13.3% (2024) · Sweden: 27.2% (2024)

Sweden’s price level (US = 100) is 1.5× South Korea’s

South Korea: 57% (2025) · Sweden: 87% (2025)

Sweden spends 2.1 times as much on health per person as South Korea

South Korea: $3,137 (2024) · Sweden: $6,485 (2024)

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)

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)

South Korea has 6.7 times as many hospital beds per person as Sweden

South Korea: 12.8 per 1,000 (2022) · Sweden: 1.9 per 1,000 (2022)

The suicide rate in South Korea is 84% higher than in Sweden

South Korea: 23.4 per 100k (2023) · Sweden: 12.7 per 100k (2023)

19% of adults in Sweden are obese, versus 7.5% in South Korea

South Korea: 7.5% (2024) · Sweden: 18.7% (2024)

20% of adults in Sweden smoke, versus 19% in South Korea

South Korea: 18.6% (2024) · Sweden: 20.3% (2024)

People in Sweden rate their lives 1.21 points higher than in South Korea

South Korea: 6.04 (2025) · Sweden: 7.26 (2025)

Adults in Sweden drink 5% more alcohol than in South Korea

South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023) · Sweden: 8.7 litres (2023)

South Korea has 23% more meat per person than Sweden

South Korea: 84 kg (2023) · Sweden: 68.4 kg (2023)

South Korea has 64 kcal more food per person per day than Sweden

South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023) · Sweden: 3,367 kcal (2023)

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)

Sweden and South Korea are practically level

South Korea: 12.7 years (2023) · Sweden: 12.7 years (2023)

Sweden welcomed 2 times as many tourists per resident as South Korea (2019)

South Korea: 0.32 (2024) · Sweden: 0.63 (2022)

South Korea has 2 more World Heritage sites than Sweden (17 against 15)

South Korea: 17 (2026) · Sweden: 15 (2026)

Sweden has won 709 Olympic medals, South Korea 409

South Korea: 409 (2026 edition) · Sweden: 709 (2026 edition)

98% of people in South Korea are online, versus 96% in Sweden

South Korea: 98% (2024) · Sweden: 96% (2025)

Home internet in South Korea is 20% faster than in Sweden

South Korea: 298 Mbps (2026) · Sweden: 248 Mbps (2026)

South Korea and Sweden are practically level

South Korea: 100% (2024) · Sweden: 100% (2024)

89% of people in Sweden live in cities, versus 81% in South Korea

South Korea: 81% (2025) · Sweden: 89% (2025)

South Korea has 173 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Sweden 141

South Korea: 173 (2024) · Sweden: 141 (2024)

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)

Airlines from Sweden fly 25% more passengers per resident than those from South Korea

South Korea: 1.48 (2023) · Sweden: 1.85 (2023)

Forest covers 69% of Sweden, but only 64% of South Korea

South Korea: 64.4% (2024) · Sweden: 68.6% (2024)

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)

71% of Sweden’s electricity is renewable, versus 10% in South Korea

South Korea: 10.4% (2025) · Sweden: 71.2% (2025)

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)

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)

Roads in South Korea are 2.6 times as deadly as in Sweden

South Korea: 8.7 per 100k (2023) · Sweden: 3.4 per 100k (2023)

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)

South Korea gets 58% more rain than Sweden

South Korea: 1,265 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 801 mm (2016–2025 avg)