Swedes live longer but obesity is increasing

Did life expectancy and obesity is increasing in Sweden? Here are some numbers for you to dig into.

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Swedes live longer but obesity is increasing
Photo: Eleanore Stohner - Pexels

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Life Expectancy

As we all know, women live longer than men, and Sweden is no exception. The latest available statistics show that the average life expectancy for women is 84.90 years and for men, it is 81.58 years. Life expectancy has steadily increased since 1970, when the average life expectancy was 77.06 years for women and 72.2 years for men. Notably, Halland County stands out with a higher average life expectancy of 85.53 years for women and 82.52 years for men. Halland has a development strategy to become the best place to live, which might be an explanation [1].

Average Height in Sweden

According to World Population Review, which lists the average heights of different countries when men and women are 19 years old, the average height in Sweden is 180.46cm for men and 166.67cm for women. This places Sweden 18th in the world. The tallest people in the world are the Dutch, with an average height of 183.78cm for men and 170.36cm for women. The shortest people in the world are from East Timor, with an average height of 160.13cm for men and 152.71cm for women. The global average height is 171.38cm for men and 159.16cm for women. [3]

Swedes' Weight

World Population Review has compiled statistics on the number of people with a BMI over 25, which is considered overweight. It's worth noting that even well-trained individuals with a lot of muscle mass can have a high BMI, but this is still a good indication of how Sweden compares to other countries. In Sweden, 16% of women and 15% of men are overweight. The country with the highest percentage of overweight individuals is American Samoa, with 80.2%, and the country with the lowest percentage is Ethiopia, with 1% [4]. Statistics show a clear trend in Sweden of increasing overweight and obesity, driven by societal and environmental changes [5].

Parenthood

On average, 9.5 children are born per 1,000 inhabitants, with the most children born in Stockholm County (10.5) and the fewest in Norrbotten County (8.2).

  • At the birth of their first child, fathers are on average 32.39 years old, and mothers are 30.39 years old.
  • At the birth of their second child, fathers are on average 34.67 years old, and mothers are 32.38 years old.

Adoptions in Sweden (2023)

  • In-country born with one adoptive parent: 43,439
  • In-country born with two adoptive parents: 34,201
  • Out-of-country born with one adoptive parent: 8,154
  • Out-of-country born with two adoptive parents: 50,327

Marriages and Divorces

The average age for women is 34.9 years and for men, it is 36.8 years when they get married for the first time. Interestingly, the statistics show that 41,367 men and 38,201 women got married in 2023. There were also 1,179 same-sex marriages, with 451 men and 728 women, meaning that women are more likely to marry each other than men. On average, marriages last 12.3 years before ending in divorce. [2]

So there you have it, a bit more statistics about the Swedes!

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Sweden Herald LifestyleS
By Sweden Herald LifestyleWrites about topics that can be of interest living in Sweden

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