Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Kingdom fits inside Sweden 2.2 times
Sweden: 528,860 km² (2024) · United Kingdom: 243,610 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
The United Kingdom’s coastline is 3.9 times as long as Sweden’s
Sweden: 3,218 km (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 12,429 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Sweden’s highest peak towers 755 m above the United Kingdom’s
Sweden: 2,100 m (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 1,345 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 69% of the United Kingdom, versus 7.3% of Sweden
Sweden: 7.3% (2024) · United Kingdom: 69.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United Kingdom has 6.6 times as many people as Sweden
Sweden: 10.6 million (2025) · United Kingdom: 69.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Kingdom is 11 times as densely populated as Sweden
Sweden: 26 per km² (2025) · United Kingdom: 287 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Sweden are 2.3 cm taller than in the United Kingdom
Sweden: 180.5 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 178.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Sweden are 2.7 cm taller than in the United Kingdom
Sweden: 166.7 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 163.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
Sweden and the United Kingdom are practically level
Sweden: 39.9 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 39.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the United Kingdom have 0.1 more children on average than in Sweden
Sweden: 1.43 children per woman (2024) · United Kingdom: 1.55 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in Sweden are 65 or older, versus 20% in the United Kingdom
Sweden: 20.9% (2025) · United Kingdom: 19.7% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Sweden hosts 63% more refugees per resident than the United Kingdom
Sweden: 13.6 per 1,000 (2025) · United Kingdom: 8.4 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Sweden has produced 28.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United Kingdom 15.8
Sweden: 28.3 (2026) · United Kingdom: 15.8 (2026)
How many official languages?
Sweden and the United Kingdom are practically level
Sweden: 1 (2026) · United Kingdom: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United Kingdom’s economy is 6 times the size of Sweden’s
Sweden: $669 billion (2025) · United Kingdom: $4 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Sweden produces 12% more per person than the United Kingdom
Sweden: Int$72,529 (2025) · United Kingdom: Int$64,607 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the United Kingdom than in Sweden (Gini 3.1 points higher)
Sweden: 29.3 (2023) · United Kingdom: 32.4 (2021)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Sweden and the United Kingdom are practically level
Sweden: 0.8% (2023) · United Kingdom: 0.4% (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.7% in Sweden, versus 4.7% in the United Kingdom
Sweden: 8.7% (2025) · United Kingdom: 4.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Sweden and the United Kingdom are practically level
Sweden: 2.5% (2025) · United Kingdom: 2.4% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Sweden and the United Kingdom are practically level
Sweden: 27.2% (2024) · United Kingdom: 26.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United Kingdom’s price level (US = 100) is 1× Sweden’s
Sweden: 87% (2025) · United Kingdom: 89% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Sweden spends 11% more on health per person than the United Kingdom
Sweden: $6,485 (2024) · United Kingdom: $5,860 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Sweden live 2.7 years longer than in the United Kingdom
Sweden: 84.1 years (2024) · United Kingdom: 81.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the United Kingdom is 2.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in Sweden
Sweden: 2 per 1,000 (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Sweden has 34% more doctors per person than the United Kingdom
Sweden: 4.4 per 1,000 (2021) · United Kingdom: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
The United Kingdom has 27% more hospital beds per person than Sweden
Sweden: 1.9 per 1,000 (2022) · United Kingdom: 2.4 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Sweden is 32% higher than in the United Kingdom
Sweden: 12.7 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 9.6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
29% of adults in the United Kingdom are obese, versus 19% in Sweden
Sweden: 18.7% (2024) · United Kingdom: 29.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in Sweden smoke, versus 13% in the United Kingdom
Sweden: 20.3% (2024) · United Kingdom: 12.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Sweden rate their lives 0.56 points higher than in the United Kingdom
Sweden: 7.26 (2025) · United Kingdom: 6.69 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United Kingdom drink 20% more alcohol than in Sweden
Sweden: 8.7 litres (2023) · United Kingdom: 10.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United Kingdom has 24% more meat per person than Sweden
Sweden: 68.4 kg (2023) · United Kingdom: 84.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United Kingdom has 68 kcal more food per person per day than Sweden
Sweden: 3,367 kcal (2023) · United Kingdom: 3,435 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Kingdom put in 91 more hours a year than in Sweden
Sweden: 1,432 hours (2023) · United Kingdom: 1,523 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United Kingdom went to school 0.75 years longer than in Sweden
Sweden: 12.7 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Sweden welcomed 15% more tourists per resident than the United Kingdom (2019)
Sweden: 0.63 (2022) · United Kingdom: 0.55 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
The United Kingdom has 20 more World Heritage sites than Sweden (35 against 15)
Sweden: 15 (2026) · United Kingdom: 35 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The United Kingdom has won 1,025 Olympic medals, Sweden 709
Sweden: 709 (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 1,025 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
Sweden and the United Kingdom are practically level
Sweden: 96% (2025) · United Kingdom: 95% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the United Kingdom is 22% faster than in Sweden
Sweden: 248 Mbps (2026) · United Kingdom: 303 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Sweden and the United Kingdom are practically level
Sweden: 100% (2024) · United Kingdom: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
89% of people in Sweden live in cities, versus 83% in the United Kingdom
Sweden: 89% (2025) · United Kingdom: 83% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sweden has 141 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the United Kingdom 122
Sweden: 141 (2024) · United Kingdom: 122 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United Kingdom’s railway network is 67% longer than Sweden’s
Sweden: 9,714 km (2021) · United Kingdom: 16,179 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Sweden fly 8% more passengers per resident than those from the United Kingdom
Sweden: 1.85 (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.71 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 69% of Sweden, but only 13% of the United Kingdom
Sweden: 68.6% (2024) · United Kingdom: 13.5% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Kingdom emits 26% more CO₂ than someone in Sweden
Sweden: 3.6 t (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
71% of Sweden’s electricity is renewable, versus 52% in the United Kingdom
Sweden: 71.2% (2025) · United Kingdom: 52% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Kingdom carries 54% more fine dust than in Sweden
Sweden: 5.7 µg/m³ (2024) · United Kingdom: 8.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3% more likely to be murdered in Sweden than in the United Kingdom
Sweden: 1.1 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.1 per 100k (2021)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the United Kingdom are 15% deadlier than in Sweden
Sweden: 3.4 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 3.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The United Kingdom is on average 5.6 °C warmer than Sweden
Sweden: 4.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 9.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The United Kingdom gets 34% more rain than Sweden
Sweden: 801 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 1,070 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Sweden bigger than the United Kingdom?
Sweden is larger. The United Kingdom fits inside Sweden 2.2 times.
Which has more people, Sweden or the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom has 6.6 times as many people as Sweden (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Sweden or the United Kingdom?
People in Sweden live 2.7 years longer than in the United Kingdom. Life expectancy at birth is 84.1 years in Sweden and 81.4 in the United Kingdom.
Are people taller in Sweden or the United Kingdom?
Men in Sweden are 2.3 cm taller than in the United Kingdom (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
