Sweden vs Norway
Side-by-side economic and demographic comparison · 2026 data · Source: IMF & World Bank
Sweden and Norway are Scandinavian neighbors with similar welfare state models but different economic foundations. Norway's economy is built on North Sea oil and a $1.6T sovereign wealth fund — it has essentially saved its resource wealth for future generations. Sweden's economy is more diversified, with global companies in automotive (Volvo), telecommunications (Ericsson), furniture (IKEA), and music streaming (Spotify). Sweden's GDP is slightly larger overall, but Norway's GDP per capita is 20-30% higher due to its smaller population and oil wealth. Both rank among the world's highest on quality of life indices.
Sweden has a GDP of $760.48B compared to Norway's $599.41B, making it 1.3x larger. Sweden's population is 10.6M vs Norway's 5.6M. Across 12 key indicators, Sweden leads in 7 categories. All data sourced from the IMF World Economic Outlook and World Bank World Development Indicators.
| Indicator |  Sweden |  Norway |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $760.48B✓ | $599.41B |
| GDP per Capita | $70,676 | $105,877✓ |
| GDP Growth (%) | 2.0%✓ | 1.5% |
| GDP per Capita (PPP) | $77,094 | $115,548✓ |
| Population | 10.6M✓ | 5.6M |
| Life Expectancy | 84.1 years✓ | 83.2 years |
| Inflation (%) | 1.5%✓ | 3.3% |
| Unemployment (%) | 8.6% | 4.2%✓ |
| Govt Debt (% GDP) | 36.7%✓ | 42.9% |
| Fertility Rate | 1.4 | 1.4✓ |
| Gini Index | 29.3 | 26.5✓ |
| CO₂ per Capita (t) | 3.6✓ | 7.2 |
Summary
Sweden has a GDP of $760.48B compared to Norway's $599.41B, making the former economy 1.3x larger. In terms of population, Sweden has 10.6M people while Norway has 5.6M. Across the 12 indicators compared, Sweden leads in 7 and Norway leads in 5.
Why sources report different numbers
The IMF, World Bank and United Nations each publish these series on their own release schedule. Where their figures differ, the reason is usually visible in the reference year rather than in the methodology.
| Source | Sweden | Norway |
|---|---|---|
| IMF | $760.48B2026 | $599.41B2026 |
| World Bank | $669.00B2025 | $530.76B2025 |
| United Nations | $604.90B2024 | $483.59B2024 |
These are not the same reference year. IMF publishes 2026 and United Nations publishes 2024 — each is the latest that publisher has released, on its own schedule. A figure for a year still in progress is a projection rather than an outturn. Sweden spans about 26% across 2 years; Norway spans about 24% across 2 years.
| Source | Sweden | Norway |
|---|---|---|
| IMF | $70,6762026 | $105,8772026 |
| World Bank | $63,1332025 | $94,5942025 |
| United Nations | $57,0282024 | $86,7172024 |
These are not the same reference year. IMF publishes 2026 and United Nations publishes 2024 — each is the latest that publisher has released, on its own schedule. A figure for a year still in progress is a projection rather than an outturn. Sweden spans about 24% across 2 years; Norway spans about 22% across 2 years.
Figures are reproduced as published by each source, converted to a common unit, with each publisher's own reference year shown. Differences are described, not adjudicated — no source is presented as more correct than another.