Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 0.9 years less

In Switzerland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2020. In Austria, that number is 82 years (79 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2020.

Economy

be 54.5% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Switzerland, 6.6% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In Austria, however, that number is 3.0% as of 2017.

make 19.5% less money

Switzerland has a GDP per capita of $62,100 as of 2017, while in Austria, the GDP per capita is $50,000 as of 2017.

be 71.9% more likely to be unemployed

In Switzerland, 3.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In Austria, that number is 5.5% as of 2017.

pay a 37.5% higher top tax rate

Switzerland has a top tax rate of 40.0% as of 2016. In Austria, the top tax rate is 55.0% as of 2016.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Swiss Federal Tax Administration, Federal Ministry of Finance.

Austria: At a glance

Austria is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 82,445 sq km. Once the center of power for the large Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austria was reduced to a small republic after its defeat in World War I. Following annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 and subsequent occupation by the victorious Allies in 1945, Austria's status remained unclear for a decade. A State Treaty signed in 1955 ended the occupation, recognized Austria's independence, and forbade unification with Germany. A constitutional law that same year declared the country's "perpetual neutrality" as a condition for Soviet military withdrawal. The Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 and Austria's entry into the European Union in 1995 have altered the meaning of this neutrality. A prosperous, democratic country, Austria entered the EU Economic and Monetary Union in 1999.
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How big is Austria compared to Switzerland? See an in-depth size comparison.

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