Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Sweden instead of Eritrea, you would:

Health

live 15.9 years longer

In Eritrea, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022. In Sweden, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

be 4.1 times more likely to be obese

In Eritrea, 5.0% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Sweden, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 40.1 times more money

Eritrea has a GDP per capita of $1,600 as of 2017, while in Sweden, the GDP per capita is $64,200 as of 2023.

be 67.8% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Eritrea, 50.0% live below the poverty line as of 2004. In Sweden, however, that number is 16.1% as of 2022.

be 29.3% more likely to be unemployed

In Eritrea, 5.9% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Sweden, that number is 7.6% as of 2023.

Life

be 98.4% less likely to die during childbirth

In Eritrea, approximately 322.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Sweden, 5.0 women do as of 2020.

be 94.5% less likely to die during infancy

In Eritrea, approximately 41.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Sweden, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2022.

have 59.3% fewer children

In Eritrea, there are approximately 26.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sweden, there are 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 80.5% more likely to have access to electricity

In Eritrea, approximately 55% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Sweden, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 4.0 times more likely to have internet access

In Eritrea, approximately 22.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Sweden, about 88.0% do as of 2021.

be 72.7% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Eritrea, approximately 58% of people have improved drinking water access (73% in urban areas, and 53% in rural areas) as of 2015. In Sweden, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 2.8 times more on healthcare

Eritrea spends 4.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Sweden, that number is 11.4% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 44.0% more coastline

Eritrea has a total of 2,234 km of coastline. In Sweden, that number is 3,218 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Sweden: At a glance

Sweden is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 410,335 sq km. A military power during the 17th century, Sweden has not participated in any war for almost two centuries. An armed neutrality was preserved in both world wars. Sweden's long-successful economic formula of a capitalist system intermixed with substantial welfare elements was challenged in the 1990s by high unemployment and in 2000-02 and 2009 by the global economic downturns, but fiscal discipline over the past several years has allowed the country to weather economic vagaries. Sweden joined the EU in 1995, but the public rejected the introduction of the euro in a 2003 referendum.
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How big is Sweden compared to Eritrea? See an in-depth size comparison.

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