Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 0.9 years less

In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 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

be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed

In Iceland, 3.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Sweden, that number is 7.6% as of 2023.

be 83.0% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Iceland, 8.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Sweden, however, that number is 16.1% as of 2022.

pay a 23.3% higher top tax rate

Iceland has a top tax rate of 46.3% as of 2016. In Sweden, the top tax rate is 57.1% as of 2016.

Life

be 66.7% more likely to die during childbirth

In Iceland, approximately 3.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Sweden, 5.0 women do as of 2020.

be 39.4% more likely to die during infancy

In Iceland, approximately 1.6 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 15.1% fewer children

In Iceland, there are approximately 12.6 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 12.0% less likely to have internet access

In Iceland, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Sweden, about 88.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 18.8% more on healthcare

Iceland spends 9.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Sweden, that number is 11.4% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 35.3% less coastline

Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Sweden, that number is 3,218 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Directorate of Internal Revenue, 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.
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How big is Sweden compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.

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