Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sweden fits inside the United States 19 times
Sweden: 528,860 km² (2024) · United States: 9,831,510 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
The United States’ coastline is 6.2 times as long as Sweden’s
Sweden: 3,218 km (2026 edition) · United States: 19,924 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United States’ highest peak towers 4,090 m above Sweden’s
Sweden: 2,100 m (2026 edition) · United States: 6,190 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 46% of the United States, versus 7.3% of Sweden
Sweden: 7.3% (2024) · United States: 46.1% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United States has 32 times as many people as Sweden
Sweden: 10.6 million (2025) · United States: 342 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United States is 44% more densely populated than Sweden
Sweden: 26 per km² (2025) · United States: 37 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Sweden are 3.5 cm taller than in the United States
Sweden: 180.5 cm (2019) · United States: 176.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Sweden are 3.4 cm taller than in the United States
Sweden: 166.7 cm (2019) · United States: 163.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Sweden is 1.9 years older than in the United States
Sweden: 39.9 years (2023) · United States: 38 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the United States have 0.2 more children on average than in Sweden
Sweden: 1.43 children per woman (2024) · United States: 1.63 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in Sweden are 65 or older, versus 18% in the United States
Sweden: 20.9% (2025) · United States: 18.4% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Sweden hosts 10 times as many refugees per resident as the United States
Sweden: 13.6 per 1,000 (2025) · United States: 1.3 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Sweden has produced 28.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United States 8.7
Sweden: 28.3 (2026) · United States: 8.7 (2026)
How many official languages?
Sweden and the United States are practically level
Sweden: 1 (2026) · United States: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United States’ economy is 46 times the size of Sweden’s
Sweden: $669 billion (2025) · United States: $30.8 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United States produces 24% more per person than Sweden
Sweden: Int$72,529 (2025) · United States: Int$90,027 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the United States than in Sweden (Gini 12.5 points higher)
Sweden: 29.3 (2023) · United States: 41.8 (2024)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
The United States and Sweden are practically level
Sweden: 0.8% (2023) · United States: 1.1% (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.7% in Sweden, versus 4.2% in the United States
Sweden: 8.7% (2025) · United States: 4.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United States spends 3.1% of its GDP on the military, Sweden 2.5%
Sweden: 2.5% (2025) · United States: 3.1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Sweden’s central government collects 27% of GDP in tax, the United States’ 11%
Sweden: 27.2% (2024) · United States: 10.8% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United States’ price level (US = 100) is 1.1× Sweden’s
Sweden: 87% (2025) · United States: 100% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United States spends 2.1 times as much on health per person as Sweden
Sweden: $6,485 (2024) · United States: $13,473 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Sweden live 5.2 years longer than in the United States
Sweden: 84.1 years (2024) · United States: 78.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the United States is 2.8 times as likely to die before turning one as in Sweden
Sweden: 2 per 1,000 (2024) · United States: 5.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Sweden has 20% more doctors per person than the United States
Sweden: 4.4 per 1,000 (2021) · United States: 3.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
The United States has 41% more hospital beds per person than Sweden
Sweden: 1.9 per 1,000 (2022) · United States: 2.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the United States is 5% higher than in Sweden
Sweden: 12.7 per 100k (2023) · United States: 13.3 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
42% of adults in the United States are obese, versus 19% in Sweden
Sweden: 18.7% (2024) · United States: 41.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in Sweden smoke, versus 16% in the United States
Sweden: 20.3% (2024) · United States: 15.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Sweden rate their lives 0.44 points higher than in the United States
Sweden: 7.26 (2025) · United States: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United States drink 10% more alcohol than in Sweden
Sweden: 8.7 litres (2023) · United States: 9.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United States has 79% more meat per person than Sweden
Sweden: 68.4 kg (2023) · United States: 122.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United States has 581 kcal more food per person per day than Sweden
Sweden: 3,367 kcal (2023) · United States: 3,947 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United States put in 357 more hours a year than in Sweden
Sweden: 1,432 hours (2023) · United States: 1,789 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United States went to school 1.2 years longer than in Sweden
Sweden: 12.7 years (2023) · United States: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Sweden welcomed 3 times as many tourists per resident as the United States (2019)
Sweden: 0.63 (2022) · United States: 0.21 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
The United States has 12 more World Heritage sites than Sweden (27 against 15)
Sweden: 15 (2026) · United States: 27 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The United States has won 3,137 Olympic medals, Sweden 709
Sweden: 709 (2026 edition) · United States: 3,137 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Sweden are online, versus 95% in the United States
Sweden: 96% (2025) · United States: 95% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the United States is 62% faster than in Sweden
Sweden: 248 Mbps (2026) · United States: 401 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Sweden and the United States are practically level
Sweden: 100% (2024) · United States: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
89% of people in Sweden live in cities, versus 80% in the United States
Sweden: 89% (2025) · United States: 80% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sweden has 141 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the United States 113
Sweden: 141 (2024) · United States: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United States’ railway network is 15 times as long as Sweden’s
Sweden: 9,714 km (2021) · United States: 148,553 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United States fly 49% more passengers per resident than those from Sweden
Sweden: 1.85 (2023) · United States: 2.75 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 69% of Sweden, but only 34% of the United States
Sweden: 68.6% (2024) · United States: 33.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United States emits 4 times as much CO₂ as someone in Sweden
Sweden: 3.6 t (2024) · United States: 14.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
71% of Sweden’s electricity is renewable, versus 26% in the United States
Sweden: 71.2% (2025) · United States: 25.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United States carries 32% more fine dust than in Sweden
Sweden: 5.7 µg/m³ (2024) · United States: 7.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 5 times as likely to be murdered in the United States as in Sweden
Sweden: 1.1 per 100k (2023) · United States: 5.8 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the United States are 7.7 times as deadly as in Sweden
Sweden: 3.4 per 100k (2023) · United States: 26.3 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The United States is on average 6.0 °C warmer than Sweden
Sweden: 4.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The United States gets 6% more rain than Sweden
Sweden: 801 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 849 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 States?
The United States is larger. Sweden fits inside the United States 19 times.
Which has more people, Sweden or the United States?
The United States has 32 times as many people as Sweden (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Sweden or the United States?
People in Sweden live 5.2 years longer than in the United States. Life expectancy at birth is 84.1 years in Sweden and 78.9 in the United States.
Are people taller in Sweden or the United States?
Men in Sweden are 3.5 cm taller than in the United States (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
