For those looking for a Scandinavian adventure, both Sweden and Norway will be excellent choices that will leave you with many great memories. Both enjoy safe travel, beautiful nature, friendly people, uniquely Scandinavian towns and cities, and interesting historical sites. But what if only one of the countries could fit in your itinerary, and you had to pick one?
- Here Are the Main Reasons Sweden Score Higher Than Norway:
- Sweden vs. Norway: A Comprehensive Travel Data Comparison
- Why Sweden is Better Than Norway – According to the Data
- The Capital of Sweden: Stockholm
- How about if money doesn't matter – Is Norway better than Sweden?
- The Capital of Norway: Oslo
There are of course differences—small as they may be—and after having scoured the internet for relevant data points to compare the two Nordic countries in a scientific manner, we see the Swedes ultimately score higher than the Norwegians when you compare a comprehensive list of reliable travel & tourism data points.
So what does this mean–is Sweden better than Norway? This of course depends on your own personal preferences and circumstances. It should be said that Norway is generally seen as the more beautiful country to visit and for many it will be the better choice. But if we compare available, significant, and relevant travel data, Sweden looks like the better destination than Norway for most travelers.
Here Are the Main Reasons Sweden Score Higher Than Norway:
Sweden is easier to reach than Norway; closer to the continent and part of the EU Sweden is a more popular and in-demand destination; more visitors and longer stays Sweden has a slightly higher reputation globally; mostly due to higher cultural impact Sweden wins the battle of the capitals; Stockholm beats Oslo in most areas Sweden is significantly cheaper than Norway; cost of food, drinks and accommodation
Sweden vs. Norway: A Comprehensive Travel Data Comparison
Sweden vs. Norway – Final Score:
The cumulative score is calculated based on a collection of data points signaling level of visitor accessibility, popularity, satisfaction, demand, and cost of travel.
🤔 Curious to how this score is calculated?
Keep scrolling to look at exactly how we arrived at these ratings, one by one.
Visitor Accessibility
For this category, we’re trying to establish how convenient it is to travel to the country, and how easy it is to get around within when you’re visiting.
If you’re visiting as part of a bigger trip, we’ll look at distance in travel time from different European cities, and we’ll also try to gauge how the country’s infrastructure holds up compared to other countries in order to figure out if it’s easy to get around in.
Visitor Accessibility Score – Sweden vs. Norway
See Full Data Comparison (Visitor Accessibility Score)
| Data Points | Sweden 🇸🇪 | Norway 🇳🇴 |
|---|---|---|
| EU member Country is part of the European Union | Yes | No |
| Number of major airports Number of airports servicing international airlines and 10M+ pax that visitors can fly in to/out of | 2 (ARN + CPH) | 1 (OSL) |
| Car drive from Berlin How long it takes to drive from Berlin to the nearest major city, Google Maps 2021 | 6 hrs 30 min | 12 hrs 9 min |
| Train ride from Berlin How long it takes to drive from Berlin to the nearest major city, Google Maps 2021 | 7 hrs 48 min | 15 hrs 2 mins |
| Car drive from Amsterdam How long it takes to drive from Amsterdam to the nearest major city, Google Maps 2021 | 8 hrs 30 min | 14 hrs 38 min |
| Train ride from Amsterdam How long it takes to drive from Amsterdam to the nearest major city, Google Maps 2021 | 11 hrs 16 min | 21 hrs 55 min |
| Road connectivity Out of 141 countries – Global Competitiveness Index World Economic Forum 2019 | 96% / 8th | 66% / 94th |
| Quality of road infrastructure Out of 141 countries – Global Competitiveness Index World Economic Forum 2019 | 72% / 20th | 59% / 46th |
| Railroad density Out of 141 countries – Global Competitiveness Index World Economic Forum 2019 | 59% / 37th | 28% / 53rd |
| Efficiency of train services Out of 141 countries – Global Competitiveness Index World Economic Forum 2019 | 49% / 40th | 58% / 28th |
| Airport connectivity Out of 141 countries – Global Competitiveness Index World Economic Forum 2019 | 67% / 35th | 68% / 34th |
| Efficiency of air transport services Out of 141 countries – Global Competitiveness Index World Economic Forum 2019 | 78% / 13th | 76% / 21st |
| Score Weighted score out of 100%, higher is better (adjusted for relevant factors such as size, quality, etc.) | 80% | 60% |
🇸🇪 Sweden wins this round
Sweden is more easily accessible by car, bus, train and air compared to Norway, and scores higher in infrastructure.
Visitor Popularity, Demand, Total Area, and Global Reputation
Looking at how popular Sweden is for visitors, how long they stay, and how the country’s reputation ranks globally, we can get a good sense of how people in general rate Sweden.
I’ve also chosen to include total area to get a sense of how much there is to explore in the country as a whole.
Visitor Popularity, Demand, Total Area, and Global Reputation Score – Sweden vs. Norway
See Full Data Comparison (Visitor Popularity & Reputation)
| Data Points | Sweden 🇸🇪 | Norway 🇳🇴 |
|---|---|---|
| Number of visitors Number of yearly foreign visitors to country – World Tourism Organization 2019 | 7.62 million | 5.88 million |
| Length of stays Nights spent in accom. by international guests – World Tourism Organization 2019 | 16 million | 10.7 million |
| Total Area Land + water area in square kilometers – CIA The World Factbook 2020 | 450 000 km² | 323 000 km² |
| Reputation Out of 55 countries – Country RepTrak study 2018 | 1st | 4th |
| Score Weighted score out of 100%, higher is better (adjusted for relevant factors such as size, quality, etc.) | 80% | 75% |
🇸🇪 Sweden wins this round
Sweden is more popular, in higher demand, larger, and enjoys a slightly higher global reputation than Norway.
Quality of Life Index – Global Dataset
To get a sense of how Sweden ranks as a destination for expats and visitors, we’ve looked at a massive global index that ranks countries based on factors relating to quality of life.
Quality of Life Index Score – Sweden vs. Norway
See Full Data Comparison (Quality of Life Index – Global Dataset)
| Data Points | Sweden 🇸🇪 | Norway 🇳🇴 |
|---|---|---|
| Stability Political & economic stability – WorldData 2020 | 100% | 100% |
| Rights Legal system, civil rights & freedom of expression – WorldData 2020 | 100% | 100% |
| Health Life expectancy, water cleanliness, health services – WorldData 2020 | 87% | 91% |
| Safety Crime/homocide rate, displaced persons – WorldData 2020 | 96% | 99% |
| Climate Assuming optimal climate is 25 C / 77 F and 55% humidity – WorldData 2020 | 18% | 15% |
| Relative cost Cost of living, ease of doing business – WorldData 2020 | 18% | 15% |
| Popularity Happiness, migration rate, number of tourists – WorldData 2020 | 39% | 37% |
| Score Weighted score out of 100%, higher is better (adjusted for relevant factors such as size, quality, etc.) | 65% | 65% |
🇸🇪 Sweden and 🇳🇴 Norway tie this round
Looking at massive global data sets indicating quality of life for expats and tourists, Sweden places just in front of Norway (48th vs 49th) with basically the exact same average score.
Quality of Life Surveys
We can definitely learn a lot from looking at the big data in the previous section, but I also wanted to include how actual visitors of the country rate Sweden in different areas related to quality of life, which can give a good idea of how it is to visit the country. A great way to find out how good a country is for travelers is to ask the people who have actually visited the country.
I looked at three independent surveys which asked expats and visitors what their experience in Sweden was:
Quality of Life Surveys Score – Sweden vs. Norway
See Full Data Comparison (Quality of Life Surveys)
| Data Points | Sweden 🇸🇪 | Norway 🇳🇴 |
|---|---|---|
| Quality of living – employees working abroad 23rd out of 231 cities – Mercer 2019 | 90% | 89% |
| Quality of life – expats survey Out of 60 countries – Expat Insider 2019 | 29th | 20th |
| Quality of life – user survey Out of 83 countries – Numbeo User Survey 2020 | 13th | 10th |
| Score Weighted score out of 100%, higher is better (adjusted for relevant factors such as size, quality, etc.) | 68% | 77% |
🇳🇴 Norway wins this round
Looking at two smaller user surveys on quality of life, Norway (10th & 20th) scores significantly higher than Sweden (13th & 29th)
Reported Cost of Food, Drinks and Shopping
We’ve touched on the cost of travel in Sweden already, but I wanted to give an idea of actual costs travelers may be interested in, as reported by visitors (and confirmed by myself).
Reported Cost of Food, Drinks and Shopping Score
See Full Data Comparison (Travel Expenses)
| Data Points | Sweden 🇸🇪 | Norway 🇳🇴 |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of eating out Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant – MyLifeElsewhere 2020 | $12.00 | $21.01 |
| Cost of drinking Cost of a domestic beer in an inexpensive bar – MyLifeElsewhere 2020 | $7.82 | $10.24 |
| Cost of shopping Cost of a regular dress from H&M or similar store – MyLifeElsewhere 2020 | $43.29 | $55.86 |
| Score Weighted score out of 100%, higher is better (adjusted for relevant factors such as size, quality, etc.) | 50% | 25% |
🇸🇪 Sweden wins this round When we compare travel costs such as food, drinks, and shopping, Sweden offers a significantly cheaper vacation.
Attractions & Travel Community
Other important factors for travelers to consider before deciding on their travel plans are how many attractions there are, how excited other travelers seem to be about the country, how attractive the country’s natural assets are, and what the country’s main attraction categories are:
Attractions & Travel Community Score
See Full Data Comparison (Attractions & Travel Community)
| Data Points | Sweden 🇸🇪 | Norway 🇳🇴 |
|---|---|---|
| Number of attractions Number of attractions listed on Tripadvisor June 2021 | 7 000+ | 6 000+ |
| Community topics Number of community topics listed on Tripadvisor June 2021 | 17 363 | 39 371 |
| Attractiveness of natural assets Out of 140 countries – World Economic Forum Travel & Tourism report 2019 | 41st | 7th |
| Most popular attraction categories Most popular attraction types – Lonely Planet 2021 | Culture, Nature, Cuisine, Old Towns | Recreation, Scenic Landscapes, Skiing |
| Score Weighted score out of 100%, higher is better (adjusted for relevant factors such as size, quality, etc.) | 71% | 95% |
🇳🇴 Norway wins this round
Although Sweden looks to have more attractions, the travel community seems a lot more excited about the Norwegian ones. Norway also places way higher than Sweden when it comes to level of attractiveness of natural assets (i.e. parks, beaches, mountains, wildlife, etc.), resulting in a clear Norwegian win in this round.
Capital City Rating
Finally, you get a pretty good sense of a country by looking at its capital city and how it stacks up against other capital cities, specifically when it comes to factors that are relevant for travelers.
Capital City Rating – Sweden vs. Norway
See Full Data Comparison (Capital City Rating)
| Data Points | Sweden 🇸🇪 | Norway 🇳🇴 |
|---|---|---|
| Average temperature Average maximum temperature | 11°C / 51.8 ℉ | 9.4°C / 48.2 ℉ |
| Rainy days Average amount of rainy days in a year | 99 | 116 |
| Universities Number of universities in city | 16 | 13 |
| Museums Number of museums in city | 100 | 50 |
| Theaters Number of theaters in city | 6 | 4 |
| UNESCO World Heritage Landmarks Number of UNESCO World Heritage Landmarks in city | 2 | 0 |
| Cost of living Estimated monthly living expenses for a single person (excluding rent) – Numbeo 2021 | $ 1068 USD | $ 1202 USD |
| Quality of city living The annual survey ranks 221 cities using 39 quality of life criteria – Mercer 2021. | 20th | 33rd |
| Michelin restaurants Number of restaurants listed in Guide Michelin that are currently open – Guide Michelin 2021 | 44 | 29 |
| Population density How densely populated the city is | 4600 people/km² | 3200 people/km² |
| Average salary Average yearly salary in USD | $ 31 524 USD | $ 39 084 USD |
| Score Weighted score out of 100%, higher is better (adjusted for relevant factors such as size, quality, etc.) | 76% | 59% |
🇸🇪 Sweden wins this round
Stockholm beats Oslo in almost every area relevant to the attractiveness, quality, and value of a capital city visit.
Data sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18
And the winner is: Sweden 🇸🇪
While both countries are great travel destinations, Sweden ultimately scores higher as it is more popular, more in-demand, offers a similar quality of life, has earned a higher global reputation, and is a significantly cheaper country to visit – making it the better travel destination for most people (depending on your budget and preferences of course).
Why Sweden is Better Than Norway – According to the Data
Looking at publicly available, neutral data points to see what separates the two Nordic countries, we see that Sweden ultimately scores slightly higher than Norway. In the end, the countries score very similarly for most of the indicators included in this comparison. But, there are a few areas where Sweden stands out as a slight winner for most of us:
Sweden is easier to reach than Norway, being closer to the continent and part of the EU
You will be able to reach Sweden easier and faster by train, bus and plane from the rest of the world but even more so from continental Europe. There are essentially two major airport hubs to fly in and out of Sweden: Stockholm Arlanda (ARN – located an 18 min train ride from Stockholm C) and Copenhagen (CPH, located a 21 min train ride from Malmö C), making it easier to reach Sweden for those traveling by air (even if the latter happens to be located in Denmark).For those not travelling by air the differences will be more about time and distance, with Norway being located further away from continental Europe than Sweden.
You will be able to take the train to Sweden from major cities on the European continent in a shorter time, and a bus or car drive would be shorter to Sweden than it would to Norway (as one would have to drive through Sweden or take a ferry in order to reach Norway).
So if you are on a European trip and have limited time, going to Sweden instead of Norway could mean higher chances for an easier and shorter direct flight if you’re traveling by air, or an additional day of travel if you get around by means of a car, bus, or train.
It’s also easier for tourists to see more of the attractions due to proximity and transportation options available to said attractions. Sweden has more total attractions, but this doesn’t necessarily mean they are better than the Norwegian ones (which we will expand on further down in the article).
Sweden is a more popular and in-demand destination, with more visitors and longer stays
If you believe in the “wisdom of crowds” model one may look at the number of visitors and nights spent in the countries in order to gauge the country’s popularity and draw.This is not necessarily a good thing for everyone, but if we want to trust travelers’ opinion Sweden stands as the more popular choice for tourists and the country where they spend the most time as well.Â
Sweden has a slightly higher reputation in the global community due to higher cultural impact
Looking at the Good Country Index there is very little separating the two countries, but one area where Sweden pulls away from Norway significantly is the Creative Goods Export and Creative Services Export categories.In those categories Sweden delivers more good (Goods) and much more good (Services) than average to culture. The goal of this index is to measure “what countries contribute to the world outside their own borders, and what they take away”.
Sweden is cheaper than Norway
Cheaper isn’t always better, but for most of us the cost of a trip is a very important factor when deciding where to go. And, if all other things are equal-ish, the cheaper destination would generally be where we would choose to go.That being said, Sweden isn’t very cheap if you compare it to the US, but quite significantly cheaper than the neighbouring Norway, at least according to comparisons by Suitcase Six, My Life Elsewhere, and the last one.
Sweden has more World Heritage Sites than Norway
Wander around on cobblestone streets from medieval times, visit one of the many castles and manors scattered around the country, explore the rune stones and other remains of the viking age.The four largest cities (Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö, and Uppsala) all have historical old town districts and viking-related sights ready to explore, mixed with modern urban planning, ease of transportation, and excellent access to technology.
Stockholm ultimately beats Oslo in the battle of the capital cities
Striking modern architecture meets cozy medieval old town in Stockholm and many more Swedish cities, making for a unique travel experience for anyone interested in both the past and present.Compared to Oslo, Stockholm has a warmer average temperature; more museums, theatres, and universities; more UNESCO World Heritage Landmarks; a lower cost of living; and a higher quality of living.
The Capital of Sweden: Stockholm
- Biggest city in Scandinavia
- The city’s subway is called “world’s largest art gallery”
- The city is called the “World’s Smallest Big City” and the “Venice of the North”
- Birthplace of Greta Thunberg, Avicii, Alfred Nobel, Spotify, ABBA, the Skarsgård family, Minecraft, Björn Borg, August Strindberg, Zara Larsson, Greta Garbo
How about if money doesn’t matter – Is Norway better than Sweden?
If you are in to natural experiences in epic landscapes, there are few places that will top Norway. The country offers a wealth of fjords and beautiful mountainscapes that you can explore by foot, car or ship, and that will take your breath away more than once.
Norway also scored slightly higher than Sweden in certain quality of life surveys, but it does come with much higher living and food costs, and it is not as convenient to see the major attractions as they are generally a bit more remote than the Swedish sights.
To sum it up; if money and time don’t matter to you, Norway offers more natural beauty and might be the better destination.
Norway is generally seen as more beautiful
The scenic fjords and unique costal landscapes of Norway were not only the pride of the fictive planet designer Slartibartfast (from the Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy series), but are also arguably some of the more breathtaking natural sights you can see. This is evident in World Economic Forums Travel & Tourism report where Norway places 7th vs Swedens 41st in “Attractiveness of natural assets”Norway enjoys a slightly higher quality of life than Sweden
Although the two countries are neck and neck when it comes to happiness and quality of life, Norway does seem to have a slight edge here when looking at the smaller expat surveys, which means (all other things being equal) Norway may be the better destination for you.Norway is less crowded
Although Sweden wins the popularity contest, that might be a win for Norway in the end for a lot of people. A lower visitor count can after all lead to a less crowded tourist experience, which is usually preferred if the attractions are similar.But of course… Norway is a lot more expensive
According to a user survey by MyLifeElsewhere Norway is 46.3% more expensive than Sweden, which can likely be attributed to the much higher GDP per capita in Norway ($67,645 vs $51,443). As a tourist a higher GDP is generally a negative factor though, as you will not earn the higher wages to account for the higher costs when you visit from abroad.
The Capital of Norway: Oslo
Sweden vs. Norway – Summary
Sweden scores slightly higher overall in travel data points — due to being more accessible, considerably cheaper, and with a higher-scoring capital — so if you can only travel to one of the countries, Sweden would be my recommendation.
However, both countries are well worth a visit in the end, and both score very high on a global scale. If you can fit both of them into your travel itinerary and budget, you’ll get two uniquely Scandinavian travel experiences in close proximity to each other, with different types of offerings and attractions.
Sources:
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Tourism_statistics
https://www.worlddata.info/europe/sweden/tourism.php
https://www.worlddata.info/europe/norway/tourism.php
https://www.indexmundi.com/factbook/compare/sweden.norway
https://www.worlddata.info/quality-of-life.php?expats=1#tab
https://www.mylifeelsewhere.com/cost-of-living/sweden/norway
https://www.internations.org/expat-insider/2019/the-nordic-countries-39838
https://www.numbeo.com/quality-of-life/rankings_current.jsp
https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/2963875/_PDF/RepTrak/2018_Country_RepTrak_180621.pdf
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/sweden
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/norway
https://www.roughguides.com/gallery/most-beautiful-country-in-the-world/
