Conor Stewart
Research expert covering health & pharmaceuticals in the UK & Europe
State of health in Sweden - statistics & facts
In 2021, a girl born in Sweden could be expected to live 84.3 years, while a boy born in the same year had a life expectancy of 80.9 years. In recent years, life expectancy in Sweden has increased year-on-year for both genders. The share of the Swedish population who regarded themselves to be in good health was high in 2021, although did decrease among older age groups. At that time, over 83 percent of men aged between 35 and 44 years of age said they were in good health, compared to 59 percent of men in the 75 to 84 years age group. Sweden spent 11.5 percent of GDP on healthcare in 2020, which was one of the highest shares across Europe, behind only Germany, France, the UK, and Switzerland.
Cancer in Sweden
Cancer was the second-leading cause of death in Sweden in 2020 with around 23.5 thousand deaths, only causing fewer deaths than diseases of the circulatory system. The most common type of cancer among women in Sweden is breast cancer with over 12 thousand cases in 2020. The most common type of cancer among men was skin cancer (excluding malignant melanomas) with around 11.7 thousand cases. In 15 years, the five-year survival rate from cancer in Sweden has increased from just over 61 percent in 2002 to around 73 percent in 2017. The five-year survival rate is defined as the share of people who are alive five years after a cancer diagnosis. In Sweden, women aged between 50 and 69 years of age (as well as those aged 40 to 49 and 70 to 74 years in some counties) are regularly invited to mammography screenings which has been acknowledged as a primary reason for the relatively high survival rates of breast cancer in the country.Obesity in Sweden
Obesity is one of main risk factors for some of the most prevalent health conditions in Sweden. If a person is overweight or obese their risk is increased of developing cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and certain cancers. In 2020, half of the population in Sweden was classed as either overweight or obese. According to WHO guidelines, being overweight is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of over 25, while obesity is having a BMI greater than 30. When broken down by gender, around 57 percent of men in Sweden were overweight or obese, while 43 percent of women had a BMI greater than 25.
