World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The median country fits inside Sweden 4.7 times
Sweden: 528,860 km² (2024) · World median: 111,370 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Sweden’s coastline is 7.3 times as long as the median country’s
Sweden: 3,218 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The median country’s highest peak towers 235 m above Sweden’s
Sweden: 2,100 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 38% of the median country, versus 7.3% of Sweden
Sweden: 7.3% (2024) · World median: 37.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Sweden has 43% more people than the median country
Sweden: 10.6 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The median country is 3.8 times as densely populated as Sweden
Sweden: 26 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Sweden are 6.9 cm taller than in the median country
Sweden: 180.5 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Sweden are 6.1 cm taller than in the median country
Sweden: 166.7 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Sweden is 8.8 years older than in the median country
Sweden: 39.9 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the median country have 0.5 more children on average than in Sweden
Sweden: 1.43 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in Sweden are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in the median country
Sweden: 20.9% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Sweden hosts 17 times as many refugees per resident as the median country
Sweden: 13.6 per 1,000 (2025) · World median: 0.8 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Sweden has produced 28.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the median country none
Sweden: 28.3 (2026) · World median: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Sweden and the median country are practically level
Sweden: 1 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Sweden’s economy is 15 times the size of the median country’s
Sweden: $669 billion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Sweden produces 3.4 times as much per person as the median country
Sweden: Int$72,529 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the median country than in Sweden (Gini 5.1 points higher)
Sweden: 29.3 (2023) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
1.6% of people in the median country live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.8% in Sweden
Sweden: 0.8% (2023) · World median: 1.6% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.7% in Sweden, versus 5.1% in the median country
Sweden: 8.7% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Sweden spends 2.5% of its GDP on the military, the median country 1.8%
Sweden: 2.5% (2025) · World median: 1.8% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Sweden’s central government collects 27% of GDP in tax, the median country’s 17%
Sweden: 27.2% (2024) · World median: 17% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Sweden’s price level (US = 100) is 1.9× the median country’s
Sweden: 87% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Sweden spends 14 times as much on health per person as the median country
Sweden: $6,485 (2024) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Sweden live 9.4 years longer than in the median country
Sweden: 84.1 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the median country is 6.3 times as likely to die before turning one as in Sweden
Sweden: 2 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Sweden has 2.6 times as many doctors per person as the median country
Sweden: 4.4 per 1,000 (2021) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
The median country has 27% more hospital beds per person than Sweden
Sweden: 1.9 per 1,000 (2022) · World median: 2.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Sweden is 27% higher than in the median country
Sweden: 12.7 per 100k (2023) · World median: 10 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in the median country are obese, versus 19% in Sweden
Sweden: 18.7% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in Sweden smoke, versus 19% in the median country
Sweden: 20.3% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Sweden rate their lives 1.42 points higher than in the median country
Sweden: 7.26 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Sweden drink 2 times as much alcohol as in the median country
Sweden: 8.7 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Sweden has 22% more meat per person than the median country
Sweden: 68.4 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Sweden has 429 kcal more food per person per day than the median country
Sweden: 3,367 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the median country put in 543 more hours a year than in Sweden
Sweden: 1,432 hours (2023) · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Sweden went to school 2.8 years longer than in the median country
Sweden: 12.7 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Sweden welcomed 84% more tourists per resident than the median country (2019)
Sweden: 0.63 (2022) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Sweden has 12 more World Heritage sites than the median country (15 against 3)
Sweden: 15 (2026) · World median: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Sweden has won 709 Olympic medals, the median country 4
Sweden: 709 (2026 edition) · World median: 4 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Sweden are online, versus 82% in the median country
Sweden: 96% (2025) · World median: 82% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Sweden is 54% faster than in the median country
Sweden: 248 Mbps (2026) · World median: 161 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Sweden and the median country are practically level
Sweden: 100% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
89% of people in Sweden live in cities, versus 64% in the median country
Sweden: 89% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sweden has 141 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the median country 115
Sweden: 141 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Sweden’s railway network is 4.5 times as long as the median country’s
Sweden: 9,714 km (2021) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Sweden fly 7.7 times as many passengers per resident as those from the median country
Sweden: 1.85 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 69% of Sweden, but only 33% of the median country
Sweden: 68.6% (2024) · World median: 32.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Sweden emits 20% more CO₂ than someone in the median country
Sweden: 3.6 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
71% of Sweden’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in the median country
Sweden: 71.2% (2025) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the median country carries 2.9 times as much fine dust as in Sweden
Sweden: 5.7 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2 times as likely to be murdered in the median country as in Sweden
Sweden: 1.1 per 100k (2023) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the median country are 5.5 times as deadly as in Sweden
Sweden: 3.4 per 100k (2023) · World median: 18.6 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The median country is on average 18.6 °C warmer than Sweden
Sweden: 4.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The median country gets 27% more rain than Sweden
Sweden: 801 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Sweden bigger than the median country?
Sweden is larger. The median country fits inside Sweden 4.7 times.
Which has more people, Sweden or the median country?
Sweden has 43% more people than the median country (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Sweden or the median country?
People in Sweden live 9.4 years longer than in the median country. Life expectancy at birth is 84.1 years in Sweden and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in Sweden or the median country?
Men in Sweden are 6.9 cm taller than in the median country (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
