If you lived in Switzerland instead of Central African Republic, you would:

Health

be 91.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Central African Republic, 2.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Switzerland, that number is 0.2% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live 26.7 years longer

In Central African Republic, the average life expectancy is 58 years (56 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024. In Switzerland, that number is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 77.6 times more spent on your healthcare

Central African Republic spends $137 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Switzerland spends $10,602 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 60.5 times more doctors per person

Central African Republic has 0.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Switzerland has 44.8 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

have 2.7 times more access to essential health services

Central African Republic scores 32 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Switzerland scores 86 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 52.6% more likely to die by suicide

Central African Republic has a suicide rate of 9.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Switzerland, it is 14.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 22.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Central African Republic, 6.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Switzerland, that number is 4.9% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 77.0% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Central African Republic, 68.8% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Switzerland, however, that number is 15.8% as of 2021.

View global rankings →

make 206.4 times more money

Central African Republic has a GDP per capita of $556 as of 2025, while in Switzerland, the GDP per capita is $114,769 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 99.3% less likely to die during childbirth

In Central African Republic, approximately 692.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Switzerland, 5.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 94.2% less likely to die during infancy

In Central African Republic, approximately 58.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Switzerland, on the other hand, 3.4 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 81.2% fewer children

In Central African Republic, there are approximately 46.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Switzerland, there are 8.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 5.7 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Central African Republic, approximately 18% of people have electricity access (37% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Switzerland, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 7.1 times more likely to have internet access

In Central African Republic, approximately 13.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Switzerland, about 97.3% do as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 2.7 times more likely to have access to drinking water

In Central African Republic, approximately 36% of people have access to drinking water (48% in urban areas, and 27% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Switzerland, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 2.7 times more on education

Central African Republic spends 1.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Switzerland spends 4.9% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 90.7% less likely to die in a road accident

In Central African Republic, road accidents kill 25.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Switzerland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 2351.0 times more home broadband

Central African Republic has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Switzerland has 47.0 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live with 19.1 times more strain on fresh water

Central African Republic withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Switzerland withdraws 6% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 89.8% less likely to die from air pollution

In Central African Republic, air pollution causes 98.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Switzerland, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

emit 62.5 times more CO2

Central African Republic emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Switzerland emits 3.8 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021). How we calculate this

Switzerland: At a glance

Switzerland is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 39,997 sq km. The Swiss Confederation was founded in 1291 as a defensive alliance among three cantons. In succeeding years, other localities joined the original three. The Swiss Confederation secured its independence from the Holy Roman Empire in 1499. A constitution of 1848, subsequently modified in 1874, replaced the confederation with a centralized federal government. Switzerland's sovereignty and neutrality have long been honored by the major European powers, and the country was not involved in either of the two world wars. The political and economic integration of Europe over the past half century, as well as Switzerland's role in many UN and international organizations, has strengthened Switzerland's ties with its neighbors. However, the country did not officially become a UN member until 2002. Switzerland remains active in many UN and international organizations but retains a strong commitment to neutrality.
Read more

How big is Switzerland compared to Central African Republic? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Switzerland or Central African Republic. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.