Denmark vs Sweden: Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people

Denmark
12.19 per 1,000 people
in 2021
Sweden
11.67 per 1,000 people
in 2021
Denmark rank
14th
Sweden rank
15th

Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people over time

  • Denmark
  • Sweden
051015199020052021

How they compare

Denmark currently reports 12.19 per 1,000 people against 11.67 per 1,000 people in Sweden, a difference of 0.52 per 1,000 people.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 32 shared years of data; in 1990 it was Sweden ahead.

Denmark ranks 14th and Sweden ranks 15th of 188 countries.

Across the 4 decades both report, Denmark averaged higher in 1 and Sweden in 3.

Head to head by decade

Decade Denmark Sweden Difference Ahead
1990s 9.73 per 1,000 people 12.06 per 1,000 people 2.33 per 1,000 people Sweden
2000s 10.68 per 1,000 people 11.04 per 1,000 people 0.364 per 1,000 people Sweden
2010s 11.48 per 1,000 people 11.68 per 1,000 people 0.196 per 1,000 people Sweden
2020s 12.11 per 1,000 people 11.55 per 1,000 people 0.555 per 1,000 people Denmark

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher nurses and midwives per 1,000 people, Denmark or Sweden?
Denmark, at 12.19 per 1,000 people against 11.67 per 1,000 people in Sweden as of 2021.
What is the difference in nurses and midwives per 1,000 people between Denmark and Sweden?
0.52 per 1,000 people, with Denmark ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Denmark and Sweden?
32 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2021.
How do Denmark and Sweden rank globally for nurses and midwives per 1,000 people?
Denmark ranks 14th and Sweden ranks 15th of 188 countries.
Where does this data come from?
World Health Organization (Global Health Workforce Statistics), OECD, and country data, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people
Unit
per 1,000 people
Source
World Health Organization (Global Health Workforce Statistics), OECD, and country data, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
188 places, 3,381 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed