Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Qatar instead of Switzerland, you would:
Health
be 66.5% less likely to die by suicide
Switzerland has a suicide rate of 14.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Qatar, it is 4.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.9 years less
In Switzerland, the average life expectancy is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In Qatar, that number is 83 years (82 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.
be 3.7 times more likely to be obese
In Switzerland, 11.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Qatar, that number is 42.0% of people as of 2024.
see 72.6% less spent on your healthcare
Switzerland spends $10,602 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Qatar spends $2,901 as of 2023.
have 32.5% fewer doctors per person
Switzerland has 44.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Qatar has 30.2 as of 2023.
have 11.6% less access to essential health services
Switzerland scores 86 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Qatar scores 76 as of 2021.
Economy
be 97.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Switzerland, 4.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Qatar, that number is 0.1% as of 2025.
make 36.8% less money
Switzerland has a GDP per capita of $114,769 as of 2025, while in Qatar, the GDP per capita is $72,525 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 Qatar, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 41.2% 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 Qatar, on the other hand, 4.8 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 33.5% less on education
Switzerland spends 4.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Qatar spends 3.2% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 78.4% less on healthcare
Switzerland spends 11.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Qatar, that number is 2.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 88.3% less likely to be murdered
Switzerland has a homicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Qatar, that number is 0.1 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 3.0 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Switzerland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Qatar, they kill 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 2.8 times more electricity
Switzerland uses 7,117 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Qatar uses 19,963 kWh as of 2023.
find 74.9% less home broadband
Switzerland has 47.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Qatar has 11.8 as of 2024.
live with 66.3 times more strain on fresh water
Switzerland withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Qatar withdraws 431% as of 2022.
Environment
be 9.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Switzerland, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Qatar, it causes 91.0 as of 2019.
emit 12.6 times more CO2
Switzerland emits 3.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Qatar emits 47.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Switzerland vs. Qatar
Qatar: At a glance
How big is Qatar compared to Switzerland? See an in-depth size comparison.