Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Switzerland instead of Australia, you would:
Health
live 1.4 years longer
In Australia, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Switzerland, that number is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.
be 63.1% less likely to be obese
In Australia, 30.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Switzerland, that number is 11.3% of people as of 2024.
see 37.9% more spent on your healthcare
Australia spends $7,691 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Switzerland spends $10,602 as of 2023.
Economy
make 76.2% more money
Australia has a GDP per capita of $65,130 as of 2025, while in Switzerland, the GDP per capita is $114,769 as of 2025.
be 19.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Australia, 4.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Switzerland, that number is 4.9% as of 2025.
be 17.9% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Australia, 13.4% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Switzerland, however, that number is 15.8% as of 2021.
Life
be 2.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Australia, approximately 2.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Switzerland, 5.0 women do as of 2023.
have 18.7% fewer children
In Australia, there are approximately 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Switzerland, there are 8.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 12.4% more on healthcare
Australia spends 10.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Switzerland, that number is 11.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 29.4% less likely to be murdered
Australia has a homicide rate of 0.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Switzerland, that number is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 46.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Australia, road accidents kill 4.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Switzerland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 28.9% more home broadband
Australia has 36.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Switzerland has 47.0 as of 2024.
live with 39.2% more strain on fresh water
Australia withdraws 5% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Switzerland withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 27.4% less electricity
Australia uses 9,801 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Switzerland uses 7,117 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 73.4% less CO2
Australia emits 14.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Switzerland emits 3.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this
Compare further: Australia vs. Switzerland
Switzerland: At a glance
How big is Switzerland compared to Australia? See an in-depth size comparison.