Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Switzerland instead of Saudi Arabia, you would:
Health
live 5.4 years longer
In Saudi Arabia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 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 71.8% less likely to be obese
In Saudi Arabia, 40.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Switzerland, that number is 11.3% of people as of 2024.
see 3.1 times more spent on your healthcare
Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Switzerland spends $10,602 as of 2023.
have 31.4% more doctors per person
Saudi Arabia has 34.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Switzerland has 44.8 as of 2022.
have 16.2% more access to essential health services
Saudi Arabia scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Switzerland scores 86 as of 2021.
be 14.8 times more likely to die by suicide
Saudi Arabia has a suicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Switzerland, it is 14.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 3.3 times more money
Saudi Arabia has a GDP per capita of $34,537 as of 2025, while in Switzerland, the GDP per capita is $114,769 as of 2025.
be 60.2% more likely to be unemployed
In Saudi Arabia, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Switzerland, that number is 4.9% as of 2025.
Life
be 28.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 7.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Switzerland, 5.0 women do as of 2023.
be 27.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 4.7 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.
have 47.3% fewer children
In Saudi Arabia, there are approximately 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Switzerland, there are 8.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.1 times more on healthcare
Saudi Arabia spends 5.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Switzerland, that number is 11.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 87.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Saudi Arabia, road accidents kill 18.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Switzerland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 99.3% less strain on fresh water
Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Switzerland withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 40.2% less electricity
Saudi Arabia uses 11,911 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Switzerland uses 7,117 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 89.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Saudi Arabia, air pollution causes 91.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Switzerland, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.
emit 79.7% less CO2
Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Switzerland emits 3.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Saudi Arabia vs. Switzerland
Switzerland: At a glance
How big is Switzerland compared to Saudi Arabia? See an in-depth size comparison.