US GDP is higher than Sweden, but workers tend to make more money in Sweden. In the US GDP is mainly distributed to the upper classes.
I think in Norway a McDonalds worker makes something like 2x-3x as much per hour as an American McDonalds worker.
In 2018, the U.K. median household income was $35,000 (converted from pounds) [0] and in 2019 $63,800 in the US [1].
That’s an enormous difference. There’s also many more ultra rich in the US than the U.K., but just your normal American has a lot more income to spend.
[0] https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personal... [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Household_income_in_the_United...
That just isn’t true. And, in minimum wage, the number of people that make minimum wage is extremely small — not even 2% of the total workforce.
https://mises.org/wire/when-it-comes-household-income-sweden...