Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 2.1 years less

In Japan, the average life expectancy is 85 years (82 years for men, 88 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 4.8 times more likely to be obese

In Japan, 4.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Sweden, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 38.7% more money

Japan has a GDP per capita of $46,300 as of 2023, while in Sweden, the GDP per capita is $64,200 as of 2023.

be 2.9 times more likely to be unemployed

In Japan, 2.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Sweden, that number is 7.6% as of 2023.

Life

have 55.1% more children

In Japan, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sweden, there are 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 25.0% more likely to die during childbirth

In Japan, approximately 4.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Sweden, 5.0 women do as of 2020.

be 21.1% more likely to die during infancy

In Japan, approximately 1.9 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.

Expenditures

spend 2.1 times more on education

Japan spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Sweden spends 7.2% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 89.2% less coastline

Japan has a total of 29,751 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 Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.

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