Health inSwitzerland relates to a variety of issues. Namely,water andsanitation,diet andfitness, variousaddictions,mental fitness,communicable diseases,hygiene and theenvironment.
In the 2023OECD "Health at a Glance" report, Switzerland's health statistics indicate several advantages relative to the OECD averages. The country records alife expectancy of 83.9 years, which is 3.6 years higher than the OECD average. Its preventablemortality rate is 94 per 100,000 people, which is below the OECD average of 158 per 100,000. The treatable mortality rate in Switzerland, at 39 per 100,000, is also below the OECD average of 79 per 100,000. Additionally, 3.9% of the Swiss population reports their health as bad or very bad, less than the OECD average of 7.9%. The prevalence ofdiabetes in Switzerland is lower than the OECD average. Switzerland performs better than the OECD benchmarks on 95% of the health indicators analyzed.[1]
A new measure of expectedhuman capital calculated for 195 countries from 1990 to 2016 and defined for each birth cohort as the expected years lived from age 20 to 64 years and adjusted for educational attainment, learning or education quality, and functional health status was published byThe Lancet in September 2018. Switzerland had the twelfth highest level of expected human capital with 25 health, education, and learning-adjusted expected years lived between age 20 and 64 years.[2] According to a study conducted by Swiss insurance companyCSS in 2023, about one third of the Swiss "feel unhealthy or ill".[3]
In 2023, Switzerland exhibits asmoking prevalence of 19.1%, higher than the OECD average of 16.0%.[dubious –discuss] The country'salcohol consumption per capita is closely aligned with the OECD average, at 8.5 litres compared to the OECD's 8.6 litres.Obesity prevalence in Switzerland is notably lower, at 11.3%, compared to the OECD average of 18.4%. Moreover, Switzerland reports fewer deaths fromair pollution, with 16 deaths per 100,000 population, versus the OECD average of 28.9. Overall, Switzerland performs better than the OECD average in 90% of the health risk factors reviewed.[1]
In 2023, Switzerland's health system investment notably exceeds OECD averages, with a per capita expenditure of $8049, significantly higher than the OECD's average of $4986 (USD PPP). This expenditure accounts for 11.3% of Switzerland'sGDP, compared to the OECD average of 9.2%. The country also has a higher density of healthcare professionals, with 4.4 practicing doctors and 18.4 practicing nurses per 1,000 population, above the OECD averages of 3.7 and 9.2, respectively. Switzerland's hospital bed capacity stands at 4.4 per 1,000 population, on par with the OECD average of 4.3. Switzerland performs better than the OECD standard in 55% of assessed health indicators.[1]
The Swiss hospital system, which is decentralized and regulated by the cantons, comprised 275 establishments in 2023, with a total of 37,926 beds.[4]
Seventy-two percent of healthcare costs in Switzerland (CHF92.7 billion as of 2022) are related tonon-communicable diseases. Theses diseases includedementia (10,8%);cardiovascular diseases (10,4%) such ashypertension andstroke; psychiatric diseases (10,4%) such asdepression; locomotion diseases (10%), for examplebackpain; andcancers (6,9%). Productivity loss related to these same diseases are estimated at CHF109 billion, which represent about 14% of GDP.[5]
It is estimated that one out of six persons in Switzerland suffers frommental illness.[6] Other studies estimate that between 20 and 30 per cent of the population suffers from clinicalpsychological disorders.[7] The annual cost forbrain disorders is CHF15 billion ($13.7 billion) - more than CHF2,000 per person according to Swiss medical sources (2008).[8]
Switzerland has the highest rate ofpsychiatrists per population in theOECD (Iceland has half as many psychiatrists as in Switzerland and is ranked second).[9]
According to study, people working inhealthcare orhospitality industries are two economic sectors most affected by mental illness.[10]
Patients inpsychiatric clinics can be subjected to medication against their will, isolation and restraint. One in four patients in psychiatric services is now hospitalized against their will. "This figure is surprisingly high compared to other European countries" according to Swiss sources.[11]
The percentage ofSMEs that are significantly affected by failures due to mental illnesses in 2022 stands at 26%.[12]
Studies reveal that over 27% of Swiss workers are stressed and nearly 30% of Swiss people say that they are "emotionally exhausted". Health Promotion Switzerland says that job-relatedstress results in a loss of productivity worth about $6.6 billion per year or 1% of Switzerland's GDP.[13]
Apprentices have been reported to have a high level of stress with 92.4% experiencing stress at work, 53.2% of them often or always.[14]
The most common psychiatric illnesses areanxiety disorders with 710,000 cases (2008)[8]
Migraine cases as part of "neurological illnesses" stand at 630,000 cases (2008).[8]
Around 345,000 people saw a doctor aboutdepression in 2008.[15]
As of 2022, about 80,000 people were diagnosed withbipolar disorder.[16]
As of 2021, nearly 85,000 people in Switzerland were suffering fromschizophrenia.[17]
52% of the Swiss say they haveproblem sleeping (2022).[18]
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About 150,000 people haveAlzheimer in Switzerland (2022). This number is predicted to increase to 315,000 by 2050.[19]
Some 23,100 men and 19,650 women were diagnosed withcancer every year between 2013 and 2017, according to a Swiss report; with an increase of 3,350 new cases compared with the previous five-year period (because of an aging population).[20] According to studies, alcohol consumption, smoking and pollution are main factors contributing to cancer.[21]
On average in 2019, 16–25 years olds spend 4 hours on the internet every day. Between 73,000 and 290,000 people in Switzerland had "problematic" time usage of the internet.[22]
Nearly 3% of people in Switzerlandgamble excessively spending 122Swiss Francs per month on average.[23] Over 70 thousand persons were banned from Swiss casinos for excessive gambling in 2020.[24]
As of 2017, out of a population of 8 million, Swiss people smoke more than half a millionjoints per day.[22] The Swiss health office estimates there are 220,000 regular consumers of cannabis in Switzerland despite a legal ban.[25]
Drug use is 14% of men and 6.5% of women between 20 and 24 saying they hadconsumed cannabis in the past 30 days,[26] and 5 Swiss cities were listed among the top 10 European cities forcocaine use as measured in wastewater (2018).[27][28] Since the early 90's, when drug use was dramatically increasing in urban areas, Switzerland has pioneered effective drug policies ofharm reduction, prevention and treatment, includingHAT as well as decriminalisation of recreational cannabis use. With the revision of Swiss federal narcotics regulations in 2008, themedical use of cannabis was also legalised.[29]
The number ofopioid-related calls made to Tox Info Suisse, the national poisoning hotline, increased by 177% between 2000 and 2019. During the same period, sales of opioids almost doubled, from 14,300 units sold per 100,000 inhabitants to 27,400, withFentanyl being the third most sold opioid in Switzerland.[30]
Analysis ofSwiss police records suggests that participants in medical drug rehabilitation programs tend to reducecocaine,cannabis andheroin use,[31] and the need to commit other crimes to buy their drugs, such asshoplifting,burglary orcar theft.[32][33]
According to FedPol (Swiss police) in 2025, Swiss consumption ofcocaine has "doubled over the past 10 years".[34]
An estimated 350,000 people in Switzerland are addicted tosleeping pills.[23] As of a 2022 study, a quarter of the Swiss usepainkillers. Overall, the study found 55% Swiss respondents had takenmedication in the last week.[35]
According to official statistics, the percentage of adults drinking alcohol every day has decreased by 50% over the past 25 years, from 20% to 11%. Overall, 82% of the population regularly drinks alcoholic beverages.[36] In 2016, Swiss hospitals treated 11,500 people for alcohol poisoning; about half of the patients were diagnosed asalcoholics. Among those who seek help to quit drinking, the average age is 46; 70% are male.[23]
Between 2008 and 2018, the percentage of smokers has remained stable at around 27%.[36]
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By the end of 2020, Switzerland had 236 registered HIV new infections (about a third fewer than in 2019, partly because of the COVID-19 pandemic). In 2018, 17,000 people were infected with HIV/AIDS according to official statistics.[37]
Switzerland had 4,000 cases ofgonorrhea in 2021.[38]
In 2021, Switzerland had 12,000 cases ofchlamydia which is asexually transmissible disease.[38]
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In Switzerland, there are officially 38,000 polluted sites, 4,000 of which represent a real threat togroundwater.[42]
According to official study,5G is not harmful to health. Critics say the study was not conducted in "realistic" conditions however.[43]
In 2023, low-levelradioactive were found in a landfill inSolothurn.[44]
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As of 2017, the share of people classified as overweight (body mass index (BMI) 25 to 30) has remained stable at 42% of the population. However, over the last 25 years, the percentage of obese people (BMI>30) has more than doubled, from 5% in 1992 to 11% in 2017.[36]
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Since 2002 until 2018, the number of people who are physically active has increased from 62% to 76%.[36]
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Between 2013 and 2017, around 9,400 Swiss men and 7,650 women died fromcancer every year. This means that around 30% of all male deaths and 23% of all female deaths were due to cancer.[20] Over the past four decades, the number ofsuicides per 100,000 residents has dropped from 24.9 to 9.5 (2022).[45]
| Top causes of deaths per 100 000 population. Switzerland, 2021[1] | ||
| Ischaemic heart disease | 110.5 | |
| Alzheimer disease and other dementias | 73.9 | |
| COVID-19 | 73.5 | |
| Stroke | 44.5 | |
| Trachea, bronchus, lung cancers | 40 | |
| Hypertensive heart disease | 30.1 | |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 27 | |
| Falls | 21.3 | |
| Colon and rectum cancers | 20.8 | |
| Pancreas cancer | 19.4 |
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