Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Sweden instead of Puerto Rico, you would:

Health

live 1.0 years longer

In Puerto Rico, the average life expectancy is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 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 49.3% more money

Puerto Rico has a GDP per capita of $43,000 as of 2023, while in Sweden, the GDP per capita is $64,200 as of 2023.

be 27.3% more likely to be unemployed

In Puerto Rico, 6.0% 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

Puerto Rico 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 85.3% less likely to die during childbirth

In Puerto Rico, approximately 34.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Sweden, 5.0 women do as of 2020.

be 61.9% less likely to die during infancy

In Puerto Rico, approximately 6.0 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 37.2% more children

In Puerto Rico, there are approximately 7.8 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 13.3% more likely to have internet access

In Puerto Rico, approximately 77.7% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Sweden, about 88.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 100.0% more on education

Puerto Rico spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Sweden spends 7.2% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 6.4 times more coastline

Puerto Rico has a total of 501 km of coastline. In Sweden, that number is 3,218 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Puerto Rican Department of Treasury, 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 Puerto Rico? See an in-depth size comparison.

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