Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 15.5% more likely to be obese

In Sweden, 20.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Spain, that number is 23.8% of people as of 2016.

Economy

pay a 21.2% lower top tax rate

Sweden has a top tax rate of 57.1% as of 2016. In Spain, the top tax rate is 45.0% as of 2016.

make 27.7% less money

Sweden has a GDP per capita of $64,200 as of 2023, while in Spain, the GDP per capita is $46,400 as of 2023.

be 59.9% more likely to be unemployed

In Sweden, 7.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Spain, that number is 12.1% as of 2023.

be 25.5% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Sweden, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Spain, however, that number is 20.2% as of 2022.

Life

be 40.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Sweden, approximately 5.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Spain, 3.0 women do as of 2020.

have 33.6% fewer children

In Sweden, there are approximately 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Spain, there are 7.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Expenditures

spend 36.1% less on education

Sweden spends 7.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Spain spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 54.3% more coastline

Sweden has a total of 3,218 km of coastline. In Spain, that number is 4,964 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Skatteverket, Agencia Tributaria, Spain.

Spain: At a glance

Spain is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 498,980 sq km. Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World War I and II but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). A peaceful transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975, and rapid economic modernization (Spain joined the EU in 1986) gave Spain a dynamic and rapidly growing economy and made it a global champion of freedom and human rights. More recently the government has had to focus on measures to reverse a severe economic recession that began in mid-2008. Austerity measures implemented to reduce a large budget deficit and reassure foreign investors have led to one of the highest unemployment rates in Europe.
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How big is Spain compared to Sweden? See an in-depth size comparison.

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