Sweden vs. Norway — 3rd & Final Round
Economic growth looks worse for Sweden, as do its trends in deaths and cases
A final look at the trends comparing Sweden with Norway, this time with a better summary of the time series, so just two composite charts.
First, comparing the growth in cases, with y-axes lined up, and x-axes as long at needed to remain proportional (spaces between the charts are the same):
Notice that Norway’s chart starts short and stays short. That matters.
Also, comparing daily increases in cases and death rates between the two neighboring countries:
Sweden has a 12.35% case-fatality rate, compared to Norway’s 2.61%.
The argument Sweden made for this was two-fold — its citizens didn’t need to be bossed around, and its economy would do better as a result. The first is clearly untrue. As for the second, the European Commission forecasts Sweden’s economic growth will be worse than two other comparison countries (Norway is not part of the EU):
- Sweden: -6.1%
- Denmark: -3.9%
- Finland: -5.3%
I think this experiment is complete, and a total failure for Sweden. Let’s hope they change course soon and dramatically.