Happiness vs. life satisfaction in Sweden
Sweden: Happiness vs. life satisfaction was 7.25 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Happiness vs. life satisfaction in Sweden, 2011–2025
Source: Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for happiness vs. life satisfaction in Sweden is 7.25, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 14 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.2% on the previous year and down 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, happiness vs. life satisfaction in Sweden peaked at 7.48 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 7.25, in 2025.
Sweden ranks 5th of 157 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Happiness vs. life satisfaction in Sweden, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 7.38 | — |
| 2012 | 7.48 | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 7.36 | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 7.29 | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 7.28 | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 7.31 | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 7.34 | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 7.35 | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 7.36 | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 7.38 | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 7.39 | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 7.34 | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 7.34 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 7.25 | -1.2% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 7.25 is above the median for high income countries, which is 6.63, 1.1× the median. (51 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 7.25 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 6.4, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 7.35 | 7.28 | 7.48 | 8 |
| 2020s | 7.35 | 7.25 | 7.39 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More social development data for Sweden
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 144,116 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 128 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 128 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0136 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is happiness vs. life satisfaction in Sweden?
- Happiness vs. life satisfaction in Sweden was 7.25 in 2025, according to Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest happiness vs. life satisfaction recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 7.48 in 2012.
- What is the lowest happiness vs. life satisfaction recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.25 in 2025.
- How does Sweden rank for happiness vs. life satisfaction?
- Sweden ranks 5th out of 157 countries with data for 2025.
- Is happiness vs. life satisfaction rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Sweden data come from?
- The figures come from Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Happiness vs. life satisfaction. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average of survey responses. The survey question asks respondents their current position on a hypothetical ladder, where the best possible life for them is a 10, and the worst possible life is a 0.