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

Health

be 92.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Rwanda, 2.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Sweden, that number is 0.2% of people as of 2016.

live 16.9 years longer

In Rwanda, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 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 3.6 times more likely to be obese

In Rwanda, 5.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Sweden, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 21.4 times more money

Rwanda has a GDP per capita of $3,000 as of 2023, while in Sweden, the GDP per capita is $64,200 as of 2023.

be 49.2% less likely to be unemployed

In Rwanda, 14.9% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Sweden, that number is 7.6% as of 2023.

be 57.9% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Rwanda, 38.2% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Sweden, however, that number is 16.1% as of 2022.

pay a 90.3% higher top tax rate

Rwanda has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2016. In Sweden, the top tax rate is 57.1% as of 2016.

Life

be 98.1% less likely to die during childbirth

In Rwanda, approximately 259.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Sweden, 5.0 women do as of 2020.

be 91.3% less likely to die during infancy

In Rwanda, approximately 26.4 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 59.5% fewer children

In Rwanda, there are approximately 26.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Sweden, there are 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 97.6% more likely to have access to electricity

In Rwanda, approximately 51% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Sweden, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 2.9 times more likely to have internet access

In Rwanda, approximately 30.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Sweden, about 88.0% do as of 2021.

be 20.7% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Rwanda, approximately 83% of people have improved drinking water access (92% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Sweden, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 89.5% more on education

Rwanda spends 3.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Sweden spends 7.2% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 56.2% more on healthcare

Rwanda spends 7.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Sweden, that number is 11.4% of GDP as of 2020.


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

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

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