Sweden vs United States of America: Nurses — Health and social employment

Sweden
21.08 Per 1 000 inhabitants
in 2024
United States of America
20.22 Per 1 000 inhabitants
in 2025
Sweden rank
5th
United States of America rank
7th

Nurses — Health and social employment over time

  • Sweden
  • United States of America
05101520198020022025

How they compare

Sweden currently reports 21.08 Per 1 000 inhabitants against 20.22 Per 1 000 inhabitants in United States of America, a difference of 0.86 Per 1 000 inhabitants.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 37 shared years of data; in 1987 it was United States of America ahead.

Sweden ranks 5th and United States of America ranks 7th of 24 countries.

Across the 5 decades both report, Sweden averaged higher in 3 and United States of America in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade Sweden United States of America Difference Ahead
1980s 11.92 Per 1 000 inhabitants 13.33 Per 1 000 inhabitants 1.41 Per 1 000 inhabitants United States of America
1990s 13.96 Per 1 000 inhabitants 14.04 Per 1 000 inhabitants 0.0756 Per 1 000 inhabitants United States of America
2000s 17.15 Per 1 000 inhabitants 14.42 Per 1 000 inhabitants 2.74 Per 1 000 inhabitants Sweden
2010s 19.54 Per 1 000 inhabitants 16.63 Per 1 000 inhabitants 2.91 Per 1 000 inhabitants Sweden
2020s 20.68 Per 1 000 inhabitants 18.87 Per 1 000 inhabitants 1.82 Per 1 000 inhabitants Sweden

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher nurses — health and social employment, Sweden or United States of America?
Sweden, at 21.08 Per 1 000 inhabitants against 20.22 Per 1 000 inhabitants in United States of America as of 2024.
What is the difference in nurses — health and social employment between Sweden and United States of America?
0.86 Per 1 000 inhabitants, with Sweden ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Sweden and United States of America?
37 years are reported by both, from 1987 to 2024.
How do Sweden and United States of America rank globally for nurses — health and social employment?
Sweden ranks 5th and United States of America ranks 7th 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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Sweden vs United States of America: Nurses — Health and social employment. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 07 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/compare/nurses-health-and-social-employment/sweden/united-states/

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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.