Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 4.8 years longer

In Estonia, the average life expectancy is 78 years (73 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2022. In Sweden, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 52.9% more money

Estonia has a GDP per capita of $42,000 as of 2023, while in Sweden, the GDP per capita is $64,200 as of 2023.

be 28.4% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Estonia, 22.5% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Sweden, however, that number is 16.1% as of 2022.

be 19.5% more likely to be unemployed

In Estonia, 6.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Sweden, that number is 7.6% as of 2023.

pay a 2.9 times higher top tax rate

Estonia has a top tax rate of 20.0% as of 2016. In Sweden, the top tax rate is 57.1% as of 2016.

Life

be 32.7% less likely to die during infancy

In Estonia, approximately 3.4 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 30.5% more children

In Estonia, there are approximately 8.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sweden, there are 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Expenditures

spend 46.2% more on healthcare

Estonia spends 7.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Sweden, that number is 11.4% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 15.2% less coastline

Estonia has a total of 3,794 km of coastline. In Sweden, that number is 3,218 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Estonian Tax and Customs Board, The World Factbook, Skatteverket.

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.
Read more

How big is Sweden compared to Estonia? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Sweden.or Estonia It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.