Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Germany instead of Switzerland, you would:
Health
live 3.6 years less
In Switzerland, the average life expectancy is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In Germany, that number is 81 years (78 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.
be 82.8% more likely to be obese
In Switzerland, 11.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Germany, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2024.
see 16.8% less spent on your healthcare
Switzerland spends $10,602 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Germany spends $8,826 as of 2024.
Economy
be 23.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Switzerland, 4.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Germany, that number is 3.7% as of 2025.
make 47.3% less money
Switzerland has a GDP per capita of $114,769 as of 2025, while in Germany, the GDP per capita is $60,496 as of 2025.
Life
be 20.0% less 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 Germany, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
Safety
be 51.7% more likely to be murdered
Switzerland has a homicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Germany, that number is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 37.5% more likely to die in a road accident
In Switzerland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Germany, they kill 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 5.4 times more strain on fresh water
Switzerland withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Germany withdraws 35% as of 2022.
use 14.2% less electricity
Switzerland uses 7,117 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Germany uses 6,109 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 50.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Switzerland, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Germany, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 85.1% more CO2
Switzerland emits 3.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Germany emits 6.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Switzerland vs. Germany
Germany: At a glance
How big is Germany compared to Switzerland? See an in-depth size comparison.