Comparative Analysis of Health Systems
Sweden and Italy (2023)
Demographic & Socioeconomic Context
Sweden
Population: 10.5M
Over 65: 20.3%
Fertility rate: 1.7
GDP per capita: €42,264
Poverty rate: 16%
Italy
Population: 59M
Over 65: 23.8%
Fertility rate: 1.3
GDP per capita: €33,688
Poverty rate: 20.1%
Health Status
Sweden
Life expectancy: 83.1 years
Leading causes of death:
Circulatory diseases (28.6%)
Cancer (22.9%)
COVID-19 (9.7%)
Italy
Life expectancy: 83.0 years
Leading causes of death:
Circulatory diseases (30.5%)
Cancer (22.5%)
COVID-19 (10.5%)
Risk Factors
Sweden
Smoking: 10%
Heavy drinking: 19%
Obesity: 15%
Italy
Smoking: 19.6%
Heavy drinking: 4.3%
Obesity: 11.4%
Health System Financing (2021)
Sweden
Health spending: 11.2% of GDP
Public funding: 86%
Out-of-pocket: 13%
Italy
Health spending: 9.4% of GDP
Public funding: 75%
Out-of-pocket: 22%
Healthcare Resources
Sweden
Doctors: 4.3 per 1,000
Nurses: 10.7 per 1,000
Hospital beds: 2.1 per 1,000
Italy
Doctors: 4.1 per 1,000
Nurses: 6.2 per 1,000
Hospital beds: 3.2 per 1,000
Mental Health
Sweden
17% had mental health issues
Higher depression rates among low-income groups
Strong focus on community-based care
Italy
16.6% had mental health issues
Smaller income-related disparities
Lower antidepressant consumption
Key Similarities
Comparable life expectancy
Similar cancer incidence rates
Universal healthcare coverage
Strong primary care systems
Focus on community-based mental health care
Key Differences
Health system financing (Sweden more public, Italy more private)
Healthcare workforce (Sweden has more nurses)
Risk factor patterns
Mental health treatment approaches
Regional disparities (more pronounced in Italy)
Conclusions
Both achieve excellent health outcomes despite different approaches
Sweden has more resources but Italy achieves similar results with less spending
Different risk factor challenges
Sweden's system more equitable; Italy shows regional variations
Both demonstrate strong resilience but face different future challenges