If you lived in Algeria instead of Switzerland, you would:

Health

be 84.5% less likely to die by suicide

Switzerland has a suicide rate of 14.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Algeria, it is 2.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

live 7.9 years less

In Switzerland, the average life expectancy is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In Algeria, that number is 76 years (75 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 2.1 times more likely to be obese

In Switzerland, 11.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Algeria, that number is 23.6% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 93.1% less spent on your healthcare

Switzerland spends $10,602 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Algeria spends $732 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 62.9% fewer doctors per person

Switzerland has 44.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Algeria has 16.6 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

have 14.0% less access to essential health services

Switzerland scores 86 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Algeria scores 74 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 2.4 times more likely to be unemployed

In Switzerland, 4.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Algeria, that number is 11.6% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 94.7% less money

Switzerland has a GDP per capita of $114,769 as of 2025, while in Algeria, the GDP per capita is $6,051 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

have 2.2 times more children

In Switzerland, there are approximately 8.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Algeria, there are 18.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 12.4 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Switzerland, approximately 5.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Algeria, 62.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 5.7 times more likely to die during infancy

In Switzerland, approximately 3.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Algeria, on the other hand, 19.5 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 20.4% less likely to have internet access

In Switzerland, approximately 97.3% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Algeria, about 77.4% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 62.8% less on healthcare

Switzerland spends 11.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Algeria, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

spend 84.8% more on education

Switzerland spends 4.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Algeria spends 9.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 93.3% more likely to be murdered

Switzerland has a homicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Algeria, that number is 1.2 per 100,000 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 7.6 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Switzerland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Algeria, they kill 18.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 71.7% less home broadband

Switzerland has 47.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Algeria has 13.3 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live with 22.3 times more strain on fresh water

Switzerland withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Algeria withdraws 145% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

use 74.3% less electricity

Switzerland uses 7,117 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Algeria uses 1,828 kWh as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 4.8 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Switzerland, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Algeria, it causes 48.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Algeria: At a glance

Algeria is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 2,381,740 sq km. After more than a century of rule by France, Algerians fought through much of the 1950s to achieve independence in 1962. Algeria's primary political party, the National Liberation Front (FLN), was established in 1954 as part of the struggle for independence and has largely dominated politics since. The Government of Algeria in 1988 instituted a multi-party system in response to public unrest, but the surprising first round success of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) in the December 1991 balloting led the Algerian army to intervene and postpone the second round of elections to prevent what the secular elite feared would be an extremist-led government from assuming power. The army began a crackdown on the FIS that spurred FIS supporters to begin attacking government targets. Fighting escalated into an insurgency, which saw intense violence from 1992-98, resulting in over 100,000 deaths - many attributed to indiscriminate massacres of villagers by extremists. The government gained the upper hand by the late-1990s, and FIS's armed wing, the Islamic Salvation Army, disbanded in January 2000. Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA, with the backing of the military, won the presidency in 1999 in an election widely viewed as fraudulent. He was reelected to a second term in 2004 and overwhelmingly won a third term in 2009, after the government amended the constitution in 2008 to remove presidential term limits. Longstanding problems continue to face BOUTEFLIKA, including large-scale unemployment, a shortage of housing, unreliable electrical and water supplies, government inefficiencies and corruption, and the continuing activities of extremist militants. The Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) in 2006 merged with al-Qa'ida to form al-Qa'ida in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb, which has launched an ongoing series of kidnappings and bombings targeting the Algerian Government and Western interests. The government in 2011 introduced some political reforms in response to the Arab Spring, including lifting the 19-year-old state of emergency restrictions and increasing women's quotas for elected assemblies. Parliamentary elections in May 2012 and municipal and provincial elections in November 2012 saw continued dominance by the FLN, with Islamist opposition parties performing poorly. Political protest activity in the country remained low in 2013, but small, sometimes violent socioeconomic demonstrations by disparate groups continued to be a common occurrence. Parliament in 2014 is expected to revise the constitution.
Read more

How big is Algeria compared to Switzerland? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

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