Moving to Switzerland from North Korea
What to Expect
Considering a move from North Korea to Switzerland? Here's how the two countries compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from North Korea to Switzerland, and you’d need to navigate life in French, Italian, Romansh and Swiss German.
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
What the data shows about people moving from North Korea to Switzerland.
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Switzerland compared to North Korea.
How's the healthcare?
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Switzerland generally does better on health & wellbeing, though North Korea leads in suicide rate.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
North Korea generally does better on environment, though Switzerland leads in air pollution deaths.
Will I have good infrastructure?
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
Switzerland performs significantly better than North Korea across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
North Korea generally does better on employment & economy, though Switzerland leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
Switzerland performs significantly better than North Korea across all family life metrics.
Data: The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | P'yongyang | Bern |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 38°/20°F (4°/-7°C) | 41°/30°F (5°/-1°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) | 62°/45°F (17°/7°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 81°/65°F (27°/18°C) | 70°/53°F (21°/12°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 50°/31°F (10°/0°C) | 46°/36°F (8°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | P'yongyang | Bern |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/13°F (-0.8°/-10.7°C) | 36°/27°F (2.0°/-2.8°C) |
| Feb | 36°/18°F (2.4°/-7.8°C) | 40°/29°F (4.2°/-1.9°C) |
| Mar | 48°/29°F (8.9°/-1.8°C) | 47°/33°F (8.3°/0.6°C) |
| Apr | 63°/41°F (17.1°/4.9°C) | 55°/39°F (12.6°/3.7°C) |
| May | 73°/52°F (22.6°/10.9°C) | 63°/46°F (17.3°/7.7°C) |
| Jun | 80°/62°F (26.7°/16.5°C) | 69°/51°F (20.5°/10.8°C) |
| Jul | 83°/69°F (28.6°/20.7°C) | 73°/55°F (23.0°/12.8°C) |
| Aug | 84°/69°F (28.9°/20.5°C) | 72°/54°F (22.0°/12.4°C) |
| Sep | 76°/58°F (24.7°/14.3°C) | 66°/50°F (18.8°/10.0°C) |
| Oct | 65°/44°F (18.2°/6.7°C) | 56°/43°F (13.3°/6.2°C) |
| Nov | 49°/31°F (9.4°/-0.3°C) | 44°/35°F (6.9°/1.4°C) |
| Dec | 35°/19°F (1.7°/-7.2°C) | 37°/29°F (2.9°/-1.7°C) |
Data:
MeteoSwiss - Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between North Korea and Switzerland. To live, work, or study long-term in Switzerland, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Switzerland's immigration authority.
North Korea passport holder visiting Switzerland
Visa Required
Switzerland passport holder visiting North Korea
Visa RequiredData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I work remotely from Switzerland?
From major Switzerland cities the network usually holds up. Visa rules, your employer's stance on overseas employees, and tax residency in North Korea and Switzerland are what actually decide it long-term.
How is healthcare in Switzerland compared to North Korea?
Switzerland generally does better on health & wellbeing, though North Korea leads in suicide rate. There are 44.4 doctors per 10,000 people in Switzerland, compared to 36.7 in North Korea. Switzerland scores 86 on the WHO universal health coverage index (North Korea: 68).
What's the weather like in Switzerland compared to North Korea?
The average high temperature in Bern is 55°F, compared to 60°F in P'yongyang. Bern receives around 42.8 in of rainfall per year, while P'yongyang gets 37.0 in.
What language do they speak in Switzerland?
The official languages in Switzerland are French, Italian, Romansh and Swiss German. In North Korea, the official language is Korean.
