📜 A long story
Sweden, 1800 → today
Sweden grew from 2.5 million in 1800 to 10.6 million; a newborn can expect 51.1 more years of life than in 1800, and output per person is 34× its 1800 level, adjusted for inflation.
Told with long-run reconstructions, not the yearly series used elsewhere on the site: each chapter names its source. Scroll to move through the years.
☺ Chapter 1 · Population
How many people live there?
1800
In 1800, about 2.5 million people lived in Sweden.
1900
5.12 million people.
2× the 1800 level
Reached twice the 1800 level in 1897.
1950
7.02 million people.
1.4× the 1900 level
2023
10.6 million people, the latest year in this series.
1.5× the 1950 level
Long-run series: before 1950, reconstructions by HYDE and Gapminder, filled in between benchmark years by those sources. Log scale: equal steps up mean equal growth rates.
✚ Chapter 2 · Life expectancy
How long do people live?
1800
In 1800, a newborn in Sweden could expect to live 32.2 years, on average.
1900
52.2 years.
+20 years since 1800
Passed 40 years in 1802.
Passed 50 years in 1886.
The sharpest fall in the data: down 14 years between 1805 and 1809 (41 years → 26.9 years).
1950
71.1 years.
+19 years since 1900
Passed 60 years in 1921.
Passed 70 years in 1948.
2023
83.3 years, the latest year in this series.
+12 years since 1950
Passed 80 years in 2003.
Long-run series: before 1950, historical estimates (Riley, Clio Infra, Human Mortality Database), only for years they cover.
◎ Chapter 3 · GDP per person (PPP)
How much is produced per person?
1800
In 1800, Sweden produced about Int$1,370 per person, in 2011 prices.
1900
Int$3,320.
2.4× the 1800 level
Reached twice the 1800 level in 1891.
The sharpest fall in the data: down 14% between 1802 and 1809 (Int$1,420 → Int$1,220).
1950
Int$10,700.
3.2× the 1900 level
Reached 5 times the 1800 level in 1934.
2022
Int$47,100, the latest year in this series.
4.4× the 1950 level
Reached 10 times the 1800 level in 1960.
Reached 20 times the 1800 level in 1988.
Long-run series (Maddison Project) in 2011 international dollars: adjusted for inflation, so not the same unit as today’s PPP figure. Log scale: equal steps up mean equal growth rates.
❦ Chapter 4 · CO₂ per person
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
1834
In 1834, fossil fuels and industry in Sweden emitted about 0.011 t of CO₂ per person.
1900
1.8 t.
161× the 1834 level
Reached twice the 1834 level in 1842.
Reached 5 times the 1834 level in 1849.
Reached 10 times the 1834 level in 1856.
Reached 20 times the 1834 level in 1861.
Reached 50 times the 1834 level in 1877.
1950
4.1 t.
2.3× the 1900 level
The sharpest fall in the data: down 85% between 1939 and 1945 (4.6 t → 0.7 t).
2024
3.6 t, the latest year in this series.
12% lower than in 1950
Long-run series: fossil CO₂ emitted within each country’s borders (Global Carbon Budget); early estimates are less certain. Log scale: equal steps up mean equal growth rates. Dashed stretches are years without data.
☕ Chapter 5 · Years of schooling
How long do people go to school?
1870
In 1870, people aged 15–64 in Sweden had spent 3.6 years in school, on average.
1900
4.3 years.
+0.72 years since 1870
Passed 4 years in 1890.
1950
7 years.
+2.6 years since 1900
Passed 6 years in 1940.
2015
11.9 years, the latest year in this series.
+5 years since 1950
Passed 8 years in 1965.
Passed 10 years in 1980.
Long-run series (Lee & Lee, Barro & Lee) for people aged 15–64, every 5 years until 2015: a different age group than today’s figure (25 and older).