Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 3.6 years less

In Singapore, the average life expectancy is 86 years (84 years for men, 89 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 3.4 times more likely to be obese

In Singapore, 6.1% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Sweden, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 49.6% less money

Singapore has a GDP per capita of $127,500 as of 2023, while in Sweden, the GDP per capita is $64,200 as of 2023.

be 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed

In Singapore, 3.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Sweden, that number is 7.6% as of 2023.

pay a 2.6 times higher top tax rate

Singapore has a top tax rate of 22.0% 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 Singapore, approximately 7.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Sweden, 5.0 women do as of 2020.

have 21.6% more children

In Singapore, there are approximately 8.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sweden, there are 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 48.4% more likely to die during infancy

In Singapore, 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.

Expenditures

spend 2.6 times more on education

Singapore spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Sweden spends 7.2% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 86.9% more on healthcare

Singapore spends 6.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Sweden, that number is 11.4% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 16.7 times more coastline

Singapore has a total of 193 km of coastline. In Sweden, that number is 3,218 km.

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

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