Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sweden is 5% bigger than Spain
Spain: 505,981 km² (2024) · Sweden: 528,860 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Spain’s coastline is 54% longer than Sweden’s
Spain: 4,964 km (2026 edition) · Sweden: 3,218 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Spain’s highest peak towers 1,618 m above Sweden’s
Spain: 3,718 m (2026 edition) · Sweden: 2,100 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 49% of Spain, versus 7.3% of Sweden
Spain: 49.3% (2024) · Sweden: 7.3% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Spain has 4.7 times as many people as Sweden
Spain: 49.4 million (2025) · Sweden: 10.6 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Spain is 3.8 times as densely populated as Sweden
Spain: 99 per km² (2025) · Sweden: 26 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Sweden are 4.3 cm taller than in Spain
Spain: 176.1 cm (2019) · Sweden: 180.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Sweden are 4.6 cm taller than in Spain
Spain: 162 cm (2019) · Sweden: 166.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Spain is 5 years older than in Sweden
Spain: 44.9 years (2023) · Sweden: 39.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Sweden have 0.3 more children on average than in Spain
Spain: 1.1 children per woman (2024) · Sweden: 1.43 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
22% of people in Spain are 65 or older, versus 21% in Sweden
Spain: 21.6% (2025) · Sweden: 20.9% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Sweden hosts 31% more refugees per resident than Spain
Spain: 10.4 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, Spain 1.4
Spain: 1.4 (2026) · Sweden: 28.3 (2026)
How many official languages?
Spain and Sweden are practically level
Spain: 1 (2026) · Sweden: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Spain’s economy is 2.8 times the size of Sweden’s
Spain: $1.91 trillion (2025) · Sweden: $669 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Sweden produces 21% more per person than Spain
Spain: Int$59,868 (2025) · Sweden: Int$72,529 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Spain than in Sweden (Gini 4.1 points higher)
Spain: 33.4 (2023) · Sweden: 29.3 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Spain and Sweden are practically level
Spain: 0.8% (2023) · Sweden: 0.8% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 10% in Spain, versus 8.7% in Sweden
Spain: 10.4% (2025) · Sweden: 8.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Sweden and Spain are practically level
Spain: 2.1% (2025) · Sweden: 2.5% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Sweden’s central government collects 27% of GDP in tax, Spain’s 15%
Spain: 14.9% (2024) · Sweden: 27.2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Sweden’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× Spain’s
Spain: 65% (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 Spain
Spain: $3,107 (2023) · Sweden: $6,485 (2024)
How long do people live?
Sweden and Spain are practically level
Spain: 83.9 years (2024) · Sweden: 84.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Spain is 30% more likely to die before turning one than in Sweden
Spain: 2.6 per 1,000 (2024) · Sweden: 2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Sweden has 3% more doctors per person than Spain
Spain: 4.3 per 1,000 (2022) · Sweden: 4.4 per 1,000 (2021)
How many hospital beds are there?
Spain has 53% more hospital beds per person than Sweden
Spain: 2.9 per 1,000 (2023) · Sweden: 1.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Sweden is 79% higher than in Spain
Spain: 7.1 per 100k (2023) · Sweden: 12.7 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
Spain and Sweden are practically level
Spain: 18.9% (2024) · Sweden: 18.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
28% of adults in Spain smoke, versus 20% in Sweden
Spain: 27.6% (2024) · Sweden: 20.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Sweden rate their lives 0.71 points higher than in Spain
Spain: 6.54 (2025) · Sweden: 7.26 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Spain drink 39% more alcohol than in Sweden
Spain: 12.1 litres (2023) · Sweden: 8.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Spain has 47% more meat per person than Sweden
Spain: 100.8 kg (2023) · Sweden: 68.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Spain and Sweden are practically level
Spain: 3,377 kcal (2023) · Sweden: 3,367 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Spain put in 206 more hours a year than in Sweden
Spain: 1,638 hours (2023) · Sweden: 1,432 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Sweden went to school 2 years longer than in Spain
Spain: 10.8 years (2023) · Sweden: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Spain welcomed 3 times as many tourists per resident as Sweden (2019)
Spain: 1.92 (2024) · Sweden: 0.63 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Spain has 35 more World Heritage sites than Sweden (50 against 15)
Spain: 50 (2026) · Sweden: 15 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Sweden has won 709 Olympic medals, Spain 195
Spain: 195 (2026 edition) · Sweden: 709 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
Sweden and Spain are practically level
Spain: 96% (2024) · Sweden: 96% (2025)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Spain is 31% faster than in Sweden
Spain: 324 Mbps (2026) · Sweden: 248 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Spain and Sweden are practically level
Spain: 100% (2024) · Sweden: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
89% of people in Sweden live in cities, versus 81% in Spain
Spain: 81% (2025) · Sweden: 89% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sweden has 141 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Spain 130
Spain: 130 (2024) · Sweden: 141 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Spain’s railway network is 64% longer than Sweden’s
Spain: 15,963 km (2021) · Sweden: 9,714 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Spain fly 3% more passengers per resident than those from Sweden
Spain: 1.91 (2023) · Sweden: 1.85 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 69% of Sweden, but only 38% of Spain
Spain: 38.2% (2024) · Sweden: 68.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Spain emits 28% more CO₂ than someone in Sweden
Spain: 4.6 t (2024) · Sweden: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
71% of Sweden’s electricity is renewable, versus 56% in Spain
Spain: 55.9% (2025) · Sweden: 71.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Spain carries 75% more fine dust than in Sweden
Spain: 10 µg/m³ (2024) · Sweden: 5.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 66% more likely to be murdered in Sweden than in Spain
Spain: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · Sweden: 1.1 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Spain are 82% deadlier than in Sweden
Spain: 6.2 per 100k (2023) · Sweden: 3.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Spain is on average 10.5 °C warmer than Sweden
Spain: 14.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 4.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Sweden gets 20% more rain than Spain
Spain: 665 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 Spain bigger than Sweden?
Sweden is larger. Sweden is 5% bigger than Spain.
Which has more people, Spain or Sweden?
Spain has 4.7 times as many people as Sweden (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Spain or Sweden?
Sweden and Spain are practically level. Life expectancy at birth is 83.9 years in Spain and 84.1 in Sweden.
Are people taller in Spain or Sweden?
Men in Sweden are 4.3 cm taller than in Spain (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
