Compare
Sweden vs United States
How Sweden and United States compare on 38 measures, from 1751 to 2025. The main differences:
- Life expectancy · In 2023, Sweden was higher: 83.3 years against 79.3 years
- GDP per person · In 2025, United States was higher: $67,950 against $55,010
- Population · In 2023, United States was higher: 344 million people against 10.6 million people
- Military spending · In 2025, United States was higher: 3.12% of GDP against 2.47% of GDP
- CO₂ per person · In 2024, United States was higher: 13.62 tonnes against 3.57 tonnes
Every measure
Health
- Life expectancySweden: 83.3 years in 2023United States: 79.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalitySweden: 0.2 per 100 live births in 2024United States: 0.7 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalitySweden: 1.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023United States: 5.3 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterSweden: 99.7% in 2022United States: 97.5% in 2022
- DepressionSweden: 4.49% in 2017United States: 4.84% in 2017
- Suicide rateSweden: 11.1 per 100,000 people in 2017United States: 12.8 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationSweden: 10.6 million people in 2023United States: 344 million people in 2023
- Population growthSweden: 0.56% a year in 2023United States: 0.58% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateSweden: 1.43 births per woman in 2023United States: 1.62 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationSweden: 89.1% in 2025United States: 80.2% in 2025
- Median ageSweden: 39.9 years in 2023United States: 38 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overSweden: 20.5% in 2023United States: 17.4% in 2023
- Net migration rateSweden: 5.2 per 1,000 people in 2023United States: 3.9 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingSweden: 2.47% of GDP in 2025United States: 3.12% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsSweden: $15B in 2025United States: $929B in 2025
- Military spending per personSweden: $1,549 in 2025United States: $2,755 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingSweden: 5% of government spending in 2025United States: 8.3% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelSweden: 15,000 people in 2020United States: 1.4 million people in 2020
- National powerSweden: 0.19% of world capability in 2022United States: 12.36% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersSweden: 0.27% of the labour force in 2020United States: 0.84% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsSweden: 146 million TIV in 2025United States: 745 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsSweden: 235 million TIV in 2025United States: 14 billion 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