Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Sweden instead of New Zealand, you would:

Health

be 33.1% less likely to be obese

In New Zealand, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Sweden, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 31.6% more money

New Zealand has a GDP per capita of $48,800 as of 2023, while in Sweden, the GDP per capita is $64,200 as of 2023.

be 2.0 times more likely to be unemployed

In New Zealand, 3.7% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Sweden, that number is 7.6% as of 2023.

pay a 73.0% higher top tax rate

New Zealand has a top tax rate of 33.0% as of 2016. In Sweden, the top tax rate is 57.1% as of 2016.

Life

be 28.6% less likely to die during childbirth

In New Zealand, approximately 7.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Sweden, 5.0 women do as of 2020.

be 33.1% less likely to die during infancy

In New Zealand, 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 15.1% fewer children

In New Zealand, 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.

Expenditures

spend 20.0% more on education

New Zealand spends 6.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Sweden spends 7.2% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 14.0% more on healthcare

New Zealand spends 10.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Sweden, that number is 11.4% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 78.7% less coastline

New Zealand has a total of 15,134 km of coastline. In Sweden, that number is 3,218 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, New Zealand Inland Revenue Department, 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 New Zealand? See an in-depth size comparison.

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