Compare
Norway vs Sweden
How Norway and Sweden compare on 38 measures, from 1751 to 2025. The main differences:
- Life expectancy · In 2023, Norway was higher: 83.3 years against 83.3 years
- GDP per person · In 2025, Norway was higher: $83,810 against $55,010
- Population · In 2023, Sweden was higher: 10.6 million people against 5.52 million people
- Military spending · In 2025, Norway was higher: 3.28% of GDP against 2.47% of GDP
- CO₂ per person · In 2024, Norway was higher: 7.18 tonnes against 3.57 tonnes
Every measure
Health
- Life expectancyNorway: 83.3 years in 2023Sweden: 83.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalityNorway: 0.3 per 100 live births in 2024Sweden: 0.2 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityNorway: 1.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023Sweden: 1.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterNorway: 98.8% in 2022Sweden: 99.7% in 2022
- DepressionNorway: 3.77% in 2017Sweden: 4.49% in 2017
- Suicide rateNorway: 9.3 per 100,000 people in 2017Sweden: 11.1 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationNorway: 5.52 million people in 2023Sweden: 10.6 million people in 2023
- Population growthNorway: 1.11% a year in 2023Sweden: 0.56% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateNorway: 1.41 births per woman in 2023Sweden: 1.43 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationNorway: 83.6% in 2025Sweden: 89.1% in 2025
- Median ageNorway: 39.5 years in 2023Sweden: 39.9 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overNorway: 18.5% in 2023Sweden: 20.5% in 2023
- Net migration rateNorway: 9.7 per 1,000 people in 2023Sweden: 5.2 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingNorway: 3.28% of GDP in 2025Sweden: 2.47% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsNorway: $16.1B in 2025Sweden: $15B in 2025
- Military spending per personNorway: $3,040 in 2025Sweden: $1,549 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingNorway: 6.7% of government spending in 2025Sweden: 5% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelNorway: 25,000 people in 2020Sweden: 15,000 people in 2020
- National powerNorway: 0.14% of world capability in 2022Sweden: 0.19% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersNorway: 0.85% of the labour force in 2020Sweden: 0.27% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsNorway: 407 million TIV in 2025Sweden: 146 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsNorway: 415 million TIV in 2025Sweden: 235 million TIV in 2025
Climate
Technology and environment
Each country on its own
Good to know
- Sources: UN, Gapminder and UN IGME, WHO/UNICEF, IHME, World Bank, IMF, Our World in Data, V-Dem, UCDP, SIPRI, IISS, Correlates of War, ERA5, CMIP6, EDGAR, ITU and FAO. Each measure’s page names its own and what it counts.
- Values are drawn on today’s borders. Years without a published value are left empty, never filled in.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time