Norway vs Sweden: Nurses — Health and social employment

Norway
29.13 Per 1 000 inhabitants
in 2024
Sweden
21.08 Per 1 000 inhabitants
in 2024
Norway rank
2nd
Sweden rank
5th

Nurses — Health and social employment over time

  • Norway
  • Sweden
1015202530198020022024

How they compare

Norway currently reports 29.13 Per 1 000 inhabitants against 21.08 Per 1 000 inhabitants in Sweden, a difference of 8.05 Per 1 000 inhabitants.

That makes Norway's figure about 1.4 times Sweden's.

Across all 23 years both countries report, Norway has been ahead every year.

Norway ranks 2nd and Sweden ranks 5th of 24 countries.

Norway has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Norway Sweden Difference Ahead
2000s 21.95 Per 1 000 inhabitants 17.48 Per 1 000 inhabitants 4.46 Per 1 000 inhabitants Norway
2010s 25.26 Per 1 000 inhabitants 19.54 Per 1 000 inhabitants 5.73 Per 1 000 inhabitants Norway
2020s 28.48 Per 1 000 inhabitants 20.68 Per 1 000 inhabitants 7.79 Per 1 000 inhabitants Norway

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher nurses — health and social employment, Norway or Sweden?
Norway, at 29.13 Per 1 000 inhabitants against 21.08 Per 1 000 inhabitants in Sweden as of 2024.
What is the difference in nurses — health and social employment between Norway and Sweden?
8.05 Per 1 000 inhabitants, with Norway ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Norway and Sweden?
23 years are reported by both, from 2002 to 2024.
How do Norway and Sweden rank globally for nurses — health and social employment?
Norway ranks 2nd and Sweden ranks 5th of 24 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as Nurses — Health and social employment. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Norway vs Sweden: Nurses — Health and social employment. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 31 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/compare/nurses-health-and-social-employment/norway/sweden/

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About this data

Indicator
Nurses — Health and social employment
Unit
Per 1 000 inhabitants
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
31 places, 714 data points, 1980–2025
Last refreshed

This dataset provides data on the number of nurses by status (ie. practising nurses, professionally active nurses, and nurses licenced to practice) and category (ie. Professional nurses and associate professional nurses). Practising nurses provide services directly to patients. Professionally active nurses include practising nurses and other nurses for whom their education is a prerequisite for the execution of the job. A nurse licensed to practice has completed a programme of nursing education and is qualified and authorised in his/her country to practice nursing. They include practising and other (non-practising) nurses. Professional nurses assume responsibility for the planning and management of the care of patients, including the supervision of other healthcare workers, working autonomously or in teams with medical doctors and others in the practical application of preventive and curative measures. Associate professional nurses generally work under the supervision of, and in support of implementation of healthcare, treatment and referrals plans established by medical, nursing and other health professionals. Please refer to the Sources and Methods for detailed country-specific information.