Norway vs Sweden
Sweden is 16% larger than Norway.
NorwaySwedenNorway moved onto Sweden · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.86×
Norway is 0.86× the area of Sweden. Put the other way, Sweden is 1.16× the size of Norway.
 Norway |  Sweden | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaSweden: 1.16× the area | 385,207 km²#61 of 194 | 447,425 km²#56 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationSweden: 1.89× the population | 5,610,870#118 of 194 · 2025 | 10,596,620#93 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensitySweden: 1.63× the density | 15 / km²#179 of 194 | 24 / km²#161 of 194 |
| Urban populationSweden: 1.07× the urban share | 84%#34 of 192 · 2025 | 89%#22 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateAbout the same births per woman | 1.45 per woman#146 of 192 · 2024 | 1.43 per woman#151 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthNorway: 0.44 points higher | +0.69%#115 of 192 · 2025 | +0.25%#147 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateNorway: 1.04× the birth rate | 9.7 per 1,000#147 of 192 · 2024 | 9.3 per 1,000#153 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateSweden: 1.09× the death rate | 7.9 per 1,000#72 of 192 · 2024 | 8.6 per 1,000#62 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Sweden: 0.8 points higher | 15.9%#151 of 192 · 2025 | 16.7%#144 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Sweden: 1.8 points higher | 19.1%#34 of 192 · 2025 | 20.9%#24 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationNorway: 0.9 per 1,000 higher | +5.3 per 1,000#19 of 192 · 2025 | +4.4 per 1,000#23 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroad | 0.00 per 1,000#174 of 190 · 2025 | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancySweden: 0.9 years longer | 83.2 years#13 of 192 · 2024 | 84.1 years#7 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityAbout the same infant mortality | 2.0 per 1,000 births#182 of 191 · 2024 | 2.0 per 1,000 births#182 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsNorway: 1.13× the doctors per person | 4.97 per 1,000#11 of 178 · 2023 | 4.41 per 1,000#20 of 178 · 2021 |
| University enrolmentNorway: 1.14× the university enrolment | 95.5%#10 of 145 · 2024 | 84.0%#17 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexNorway: 0.011 higher | 0.970#2 of 190 · 2023 | 0.959#5 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaNorway: 1.54× the income per person | $97,310#2 of 185 · 2025 | $63,010#12 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPSweden: 1.26× the economy | $530.76B2025 | $669B2025 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Norway: 1.43× the output per person | $104,044#5 of 184 · 2025 | $72,529#20 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthSweden: 0.4 points higher | +1.1%#152 of 187 · 2025 | +1.5%#144 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationNorway: 2.3 points higher | +3.0%#90 of 176 · 2025 | +0.7%#149 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentSweden: 1.89× the unemployment | 4.6%#102 of 178 · 2025 | 8.7%#44 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertySweden: 4.0× the share in extreme poverty | 0.2%#121 of 149 · 2023 | 0.8%#92 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Sweden: 2.8 higher | 26.5#139 of 149 · 2023 | 29.3#125 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureNorway: 0.7 points higher | 2.5% of jobs#152 of 178 · 2025 | 1.8% of jobs#160 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryNorway: 1.0 points higher | 17.8% of jobs#108 of 178 · 2025 | 16.8% of jobs#118 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesSweden: 1.7 points higher | 79.7% of jobs#15 of 178 · 2025 | 81.4% of jobs#10 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentSweden: 3.9 points higher | -1.3% of GDP#174 of 184 · 2025 | 2.6% of GDP#73 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsSweden: 7.8 points higher | 45.4% of GDP#55 of 168 · 2025 | 53.2% of GDP#44 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingNorway: 1.33× the military spending | 3.3% of GDP#22 of 155 · 2025 | 2.5% of GDP#42 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersNorway: 1.03× the share online | 99%#7 of 184 · 2024 | 96%#20 of 184 · 2025 |
| Mobile subscriptionsSweden: 1.29× the mobile subscriptions | 109 per 100#112 of 191 · 2024 | 141 per 100#34 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaSweden: 2.07× the forest share | 33% of land#93 of 192 · 2024 | 69% of land#16 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personNorway: 2.01× the CO₂ per person | 7.18 t a year#30 of 185 · 2024 | 3.57 t a year#73 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyNorway: 3.5 points higher | 61.4%#36 of 190 · 2021 | 57.9%#40 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Norway: 1.04× the air pollution | 5.5 µg/m³#180 of 191 · 2023 | 5.3 µg/m³#181 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landNorway: 2.0 points higher | 17.8% of land#94 of 191 · 2025 | 15.8% of land#110 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landSweden: 4.0 points higher | 2.2% of land#159 of 190 · 2024 | 6.2% of land#121 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressSweden: 1.8× the water stress | 2.0%#148 of 176 · 2022 | 3.6%#133 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationNorway: 2.27× the rain and snow | 1,414 mm#64 of 180 · 2022 | 624 mm#127 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityNorway: 0.23 higher | +1.08#29 of 193 · 2025 | +0.85#46 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionSweden: 0.03 higher | +1.93#6 of 193 · 2025 | +1.96#5 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateSweden: 1.57× the homicide rate | 0.7 per 100,000#123 of 146 · 2023 | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary constitutional monarchy | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary constitutional monarchy |
| Member of | NATO, Schengen Area, OECD | EU, NATO, Schengen Area, OECD |
| Capital | Oslo | Stockholm |
| Currency | Norwegian krone (NOK) | Swedish krona (SEK) |
| Official languages | Norwegian, Sámi, Nynorsk, Bokmål | Swedish, Finnish, Yiddish, Romani, Sámi, Meänkieli |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +47 | +46 |
| Region | Northern Europe, Europe | Northern Europe, Europe |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Norway sits at about 66° N and is stretched to 6.22× its true area; Sweden at 62° N is stretched to 4.65×. That difference is why Norway looks so much bigger than it is next to Sweden. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Norway bigger than Sweden?
- No. Norway is 14% smaller than Sweden. Norway covers 385,207 km² and Sweden covers 447,425 km².
- How many times does Norway fit into Sweden?
- About 1.2 times: Sweden has 1.16× the area of Norway.
- Why do Norway and Sweden look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Norway is drawn about 6.22× its true area there and Sweden about 4.65×. That is why Norway looks so much bigger than it really is next to Sweden. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Norway or Sweden?
- Sweden: 10,596,620 people against 5,610,870. Density: Norway 15 per km², Sweden 24 per km².
- Which is richer, Norway or Sweden?
- By gross national income per person, Norway: $97,310 against $63,010 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.54× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Norway or Sweden?
- In Sweden: life expectancy at birth is 84.1 years, against 83.2 — 0.9 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Norway and Sweden have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: constitutional monarchy (CIA World Factbook).