Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bhutan instead of Switzerland, you would:
Health
be 65.0% less likely to die by suicide
Switzerland has a suicide rate of 14.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bhutan, it is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 11.1 years less
In Switzerland, the average life expectancy is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 73 years (72 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
be 15.8% more likely to be obese
In Switzerland, 11.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 13.1% of people as of 2024.
see 93.6% less spent on your healthcare
Switzerland spends $10,602 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bhutan spends $677 as of 2023.
have 87.6% fewer doctors per person
Switzerland has 44.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Bhutan has 5.5 as of 2022.
have 30.2% less access to essential health services
Switzerland scores 86 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bhutan scores 60 as of 2021.
Economy
be 33.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Switzerland, 4.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bhutan, that number is 3.2% as of 2025.
be 21.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Switzerland, 15.8% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Bhutan, however, that number is 12.4% as of 2022.
make 96.1% less money
Switzerland has a GDP per capita of $114,769 as of 2025, while in Bhutan, the GDP per capita is $4,493 as of 2025.
Life
have 44.0% more children
In Switzerland, there are approximately 8.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bhutan, there are 12.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 9.4 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 Bhutan, 47.0 women do as of 2023.
be 4.0 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 Bhutan, on the other hand, 13.7 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 62.2% less on healthcare
Switzerland spends 11.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Bhutan, that number is 4.4% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 20.4% more on education
Switzerland spends 4.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Bhutan spends 5.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 4.1 times more likely to be murdered
Switzerland has a homicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Bhutan, that number is 2.5 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 5.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Switzerland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bhutan, they kill 12.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 78.3% less strain on fresh water
Switzerland withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bhutan withdraws 1% as of 2022.
find 93.8% less home broadband
Switzerland has 47.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bhutan has 2.9 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 46.4% less CO2
Switzerland emits 3.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bhutan emits 2.0 tonnes as of 2024.
be 5.7 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Switzerland, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bhutan, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Switzerland vs. Bhutan
Bhutan: At a glance
How big is Bhutan compared to Switzerland? See an in-depth size comparison.