Switzerland: Health System Overview

Life expectancy at birth (years), 2021: 83.3 years
Maternal mortality ratio (per 100,000 live births), 2023: 5
Under-five mortality rate (per 1000 live births), 2023: 3.9
Neonatal mortality rate (per 1000 live births), 2023: 2.8
New HIV infections (per 1000 uninfected population), 2023: <0.1
Tuberculosis incidence (per 100,000 population), 2023: 5.4
Probability of dying from any of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease between age 30 and exact age 70 (%), 2021: 7.5%
Suicide mortality rate (per 100,000 population), 2021: 14.0
Adolescent birth rate (per 1000 women aged 15-19 years), 2015-2024: 1.4
Adolescent birth rate (per 1000 women aged 10-14 years), 2015-2024: 0
Universal Health Coverage: Service coverage index, 2021: ≥80
Population with household expenditures on health > 10% of total household expenditure or income (%), 2015-2021: 7.9%
Population with household expenditures on health > 25% of total household expenditure or income (%), 2015-2021: 0.32%
Diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP3) immunization coverage among 1-year-olds (%), 2023: 95%
Measles-containing-vaccine second-dose (MCV2) immunization coverage by the locally recommended age (%), 2023: 91%
Pneumococcal conjugate 3rd dose (PCV3) immunization coverage among 1-year olds (%), 2023: 89%
Human papillomavirus (HPV) immunization coverage estimates among 15 year-old girls (%), 2023: 70%
Density of medical doctors (per 10,000 population), 2015-2023: 44.77
Density of nursing and midwifery personnel (per 10,000 population), 2016-2023: 187.6
Density of dentists (per 10,000 population), 2016-2023: 4.06
Density of pharmacists (per 10,000 population), 2015-2023: 6.61
Domestic general government health expenditure (GGHE-D) as percentage of general government expenditure (GGE) (%), 2022: 12.41%
Prevalence of anaemia in women aged 15-49 years (%), 2023: 16.6%

Source: World health statistics 2025: monitoring health for the SDGs, Sustainable Development Goals. Tables of health statistics by country and area, WHO region and globally. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2025. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.

Health expenditure per capita, USD PPP, 2022
– Government/compulsory: $5,547
– Voluntary/Out-of-pocket: $2,502
– Total: $8,049
Health expenditure as a share of GDP, 2022
– Government/compulsory: 7.8%
– Voluntary/out-of-pocket: 3.5%
Health expenditure by type of financing, 2021
– Government schemes: 26%
– Compulsory health insurance: 42%
– Voluntary health insurance: 7%
– Out-of-pocket: 22%
– Other: 3%
Out-of-pocket spending on health as share of final household consumption, 2021: 5.5%
Price levels in the healthcare sector, 2021 (OECD average = 100): 162
Population reporting unmet needs for medical care, by income level, 2021
– Lowest quintile: 0.8%
– Highest quintile: 0.1%
– Total: 0.5%
Main reason for reporting unmet needs for medical care, 2021
– Waiting list: 0.0%
– Too expensive: 0.5%
– Too far to travel: 0.0%
Population reporting unmet needs for dental care, by income level, 2021
– Lowest quintile: 4.6%
– Highest quintile: 0.5%
– Total: 2.6%
Population coverage for a core set of services, 2021
– Total public coverage: 0%
– Primary private health coverage: 100%
Population aged 15 years and over rating their own health as bad or very bad, 2021: 3.9%
Population aged 15 years and over rating their own health as good or very good, by income quintile, 2021
– Highest quintile: 90.2%
– Lowest quintile: 69.6%
– Total: 81.9%
Life expectancy at birth, 2021: 83.9 years
Infant mortality, deaths per 1,000 live births, 2021: 3.1
Maternal mortality rate, deaths per 100,000 live births, 2020: 7.4
Congestive heart failure hospital admission in adults, age-sex standardized rate per 100,000 population, 2021: 220
Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease hospital admissions in adults, age-sex standardized rate per 100,000 population, 2021: 123
Hospital workforce per 1,000 population, 2021
– Physicians: 3.48
– Nurses and midwives: 9.21
– Healthcare assistants: 1.7
– Other health service providers: 4.11
– Other staff: 8.11
Practicing doctors per 1,000 population, 2021: 4.4
Share of different categories of doctors, 2021
– General practitioners: 25.8%
– Specialists: 61.1%
– Other doctors: 13.2%
Share of foreign-trained doctors, 2021: 38.4%
Medical graduates per 100,000 population, 2021: 12.5
Practicing nurses per 1,000 population, 2021: 18.4
Share of foreign-trained nurses, 2021: 25.6%
Nursing graduates per 100,000 population, 2021: 112.6
Ratio of nurses to doctors, 2021: 4.1
Practicing pharmacists per 100,000 population, 2021: 66
Remuneration of doctors, ratio to average wage, 2021
– General Practitioners
– Self-employed: 3.1
– Specialists
– Self-employed: 3.2
Remuneration of hospital nurses, ratio to average wage, 2021: 0.9
Remuneration of hospital nurses, USD PPP, 2021: $58,000
Hospital beds per 1,000 population, 2021: 4.4
Average length of stay in hospital, 2021: 8.1 days
CT scanners per million population, 2021: 39
CT exams per 1,000 population, 2021: 135
MRI units per million population, 2021: 26
MRI exams per 1,000 population, 2021: 89
PET scanners per million population, 2021: 4
PET exams per 1,000 population, 2021: 8
Proportion of primary care practices using electronic medical records, 2016: 40%
Expenditure on retail pharmaceuticals per capita, USD PPP, 2021
– Prescription medicines: $628
– Over-the-counter medicines: $118
– Total: $747
Expenditure on retail pharmaceuticals by type of financing, 2021:
– Government/compulsory schemes: 63%
– Voluntary health insurance schemes: 3%
– Out-of-pocket spending: 33%
– Other: 0%
Share of the population aged 65 and over, 2021: 18.7%
Share of the population aged 65 and over, 2050: 25.5%
Share of the population aged 80 and over, 2021: 5.3%
Share of the population aged 80 and over, 2050: 10.6%
Adults aged 65 and over rating their own health as good or very good, 2021: 70%
Adults aged 65 and over rating their own health as poor or very poor, by income, 2021
– Lowest quintile: 7%
– Highest quintile: 2%
– Total: 5%
Limitations in daily activities in adults aged 65 and over, 2021: 37%
Share of adults aged 65 and over receiving long-term care, 2021: 24.2%
Estimated prevalence of dementia per 1,000 population, 2021: 15.9%
Estimated prevalence of dementia per 1,000 population, 2040: 22.1%
Total long-term care spending as a share of GDP, 2021: 2.6%
Long-term care workers per 100 people aged 65 and over, 2021: 8.3
Share of informal carers among the population aged 50 and over, 2019
– Daily carers: 6%
– Weekly carers: 9%
Share of long-term care workers who work part time or on fixed contracts, 2021
– Part-time: 61.3%
– Fixed-term contract: 16.3%
Average hourly wages of personal care workers, as a share of economy-wide average wage, 2018
– Residential (facility-based) care: 76%
– Home-based care: 75%
Long-term care beds in institutions and hospitals per 1,000 population aged 65 years and over, 2021
– Institutions: 61.9
– Hospitals: 0.5
Long-term care recipients aged 65 and over receiving care at home, 2021: 83%
Total long-term care spending by provider, 2021
– Nursing home: 79%
– Hospital: 1%
– Home care: 16%
– Households: 4%
– Social providers: 0%
– Other: 0%

Source: OECD (2023), Health at a Glance 2023: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris, doi.org/10.1787/7a7afb35-en.

Population, 2021: 8,691,000
Annual Population Growth Rate, 2020-2030 (%): 0.5
Life Expectancy at Birth, 2021: 84
Share of Urban Population, 2021: 74%
Annual Growth Rate of Urban Population, 2020-2030 (%): 0.7%
Neonatal Mortality Rate, 2021: 3
Infant Mortality Rate, 2021: 3
Under-5 Mortality Rate, 2021: 4
Maternal Mortality Ratio, 2020: 7
Gross Domestic Product Per Capita (Current USD) (2010-2019): $81,989
Share of Household Income (2010-2019):
Bottom 40%: 20%; Top 20%: 41%; Bottom 20%: 8%
Gini Coefficient (2010-2019): 31
Palma Index of Income Inequality (2010-2019): 1.2

Note: “Under-5 mortality rate – Probability of dying between birth and exactly 5 years of age, expressed per 1,000 live births.
“Infant mortality rate – Probability of dying between birth and exactly 1 year of age, expressed per 1,000 live births.
“Neonatal mortality rate – Probability of dying during the first 28 days of life, expressed per 1,000 live births.”
“Maternal mortality ratio – Number of deaths of women from pregnancy-related causes per 100,000 live births during the same time period (modelled estimates).”
Gini coefficient – Gini index measures the extent to which the distribution of income (or, in some cases, consumption expenditure) among individuals or households within an economy deviates from a perfectly equal distribution. A Gini index of 0 represents perfect equality, while an index of 100 implies perfect inequality.
Palma index of income inequality – Palma index is defined as the ratio of the richest 10% of the population’s share of gross national income divided by the poorest 40%’s share.

Source: United Nations Children’s Fund, The State of the World’s Children 2023: For every child, vaccination, UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight, Florence, April 2023.

Population, Midyear 2022: 8,740,472
Population Density (Number of Persons per Square Kilometer): 218.56
Life Expectancy at Birth, 2022: 84.25
Infant Mortality Rate, 2022 (per 1,000 live births): 3.10
Under-Five Mortality Rate, 2022 (per 1,000 live births): 3.53
Projected Population, Midyear 2030: 9,143,698
Percentage of Total Population Aged 65 and Older, Midyear 2022: 19.31%
Projected Percentage of Total Population Aged 65 and Older, Midyear 2030: 23.04%
Projected Percentage of Total Population Aged 65 and Older, Midyear 2050: 29.26%

Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2023). Data Portal, custom data acquired via website. United Nations: New York. Accessed 12 May 2023.

Current health expenditure (CHE) per capita in US$, 2022: $10,963.43

Source: Global Health Observatory. Current health expenditure (CHE) per capita in US$. Geneva: World Health Organization. Last accessed Jan. 23, 2025.

Out-of-pocket expenditure (OOP) per capita in US$, 2022: $2,366.21

Source: Global Health Observatory. Out-of-pocket expenditure (OOP) per capita in US$. Geneva: World Health Organization. Last accessed Jan. 23, 2025.

Out-of-pocket expenditure as percentage of current health expenditure (CHE) (%), 2022: 21.58%

Source: Global Health Observatory. Out-of-pocket expenditure as percentage of current health expenditure (CHE) (%). Geneva: World Health Organization. Last accessed Jan. 23, 2025.

Domestic private health expenditure (PVT-D) as percentage of current health expenditure (CHE) (%), 2022: 65.05%

Source: Global Health Observatory. Domestic private health expenditure (PVT-D) as percentage of current health expenditure (CHE) (%). Geneva: World Health Organization. Last accessed Jan. 23, 2025.

Domestic private health expenditure (PVT-D) per capita in US$, 2022: $7,131.24

Source: Global Health Observatory. Domestic private health expenditure (PVT-D) per capita in US$. Geneva: World Health Organization. Last accessed Jan. 23, 2025.

Domestic general government health expenditure (GGHE-D) as percentage of current health expenditure (CHE) (%), 2022: 34.95%

Source: Global Health Observatory. Domestic general government health expenditure (GGHE-D) as percentage of current health expenditure (CHE) (%). Geneva: World Health Organization. Last accessed Jan. 23, 2025.

Domestic general government health expenditure (GGHE-D) as percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) (%), 2022: 4.09%

Source: Global Health Observatory. Domestic general government health expenditure (GGHE-D) as percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) (%). Geneva: World Health Organization. Last accessed Jan. 23, 2025.

Domestic general government health expenditure (GGHE-D) per capita in US$, 2022: $3,832.19

Source: Global Health Observatory. Domestic general government health expenditure (GGHE-D) per capita in US$. Geneva: World Health Organization. Last accessed Jan. 23, 2025.

“Switzerland ensures access to health care through a system of MHI [Mandatory Health Insurance], which has been compulsory for all residents since 1996 (although some cantons had compulsory insurance as early as 1914). Citizens who want to purchase MHI cannot be turned down by insurers, and cantons provide subsidies for people on low incomes (although the nature and level of these vary widely by canton). The standard benefits package is regulated by federal legislation and includes most general practitioner (GP) and specialist services, as well as inpatient care and services provided by other health professionals if prescribed by a physician.”

Source: De Pietro C, Camenzind P, Sturny I, Crivelli L, Edwards-Garavoglia S, Spranger A, Wittenbecher F, Quentin W. Switzerland: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2015; 17(4):1–288.

“The system is characterized by the sharing (and some would say fragmentation) of decision-making powers between: (1) three different levels of government (the Confederation, the 26 cantons and the 2352 municipalities); (2) legitimized civil society organizations (so-called corporatist bodies) of – amongst others – mandatory health insurance (MHI) companies and providers; and (3) the people who can veto or demand reform through public referenda.

“The Confederation (or federal level) can act only in areas in which the constitution has granted it explicit power to do so. The most important areas of legislative responsibility of the Confederation (as defined by the constitution) include: (1) the financing of the health system (MHI and other social insurance); (2) the quality and safety of pharmaceuticals and medical devices; (3) public health (control of infectious diseases, food safety, some parts of health promotion); and (4) research and training (tertiary education, training of non-physician health professionals). The most important law, defining the legal framework of the MHI system is the Federal Health Insurance Law (KVG/LAMal).

“The cantons are responsible for securing health care provision for their populations and this right is often codified in cantonal constitutions. They are also in charge of issuing and implementing a large proportion of health-related legislation. In addition, the cantons finance an important share of inpatient care; provide subsidies to low-income households enabling them to pay for insurance, and coordinate prevention and health promotion activities. The role and influence of municipalities in providing health care services and other social support services varies across Switzerland and depends on decisions within each canton.”

“All residents in Switzerland have to purchase health insurance from competing MHI [Mandatory Health Insurance] companies. Persons who want to purchase MHI cannot be turned down by insurers. Premiums are community-rated, i.e. they are the same for every person insured with a particular company within a region independent of gender or health status but varying for three age categories (see section 3.3.2). Since 1996, insurers are private companies competing for market share although they are not allowed to make a profit from their MHI activities. In 2012, MHI paid for about 35.8% of THE [Total Health Expenditure] (see section 3.2), while the cantons (the second most important payer) contributed 17.2% of THE.

“The benefits of MHI, prices of pharmaceuticals, and certain national quality and safety standards are defined by the Confederation. However, corporatist actors, in particular associations of MHI companies (santésuisse, curafutura and RVK – the association of small and medium insurers) and associations of providers (physicians, hospitals, medical homes, etc.) also play an important role. They are charged with determining tariffs for the reimbursement of services; they negotiate contracts; and they may control and sanction their members at the cantonal level. If corporatist actors fail to reach an agreement, the Confederation or cantons may intervene and define tariffs or set standards themselves.”

“The cornerstone of health financing is mandatory health insurance operated by private insurers on a non-profitmaking basis. This is comprehensive, covering a broad range of essential interventions listed in a catalogue that is continuously updated by the health authorities, including alternative treatments such as acupuncture or homeopathy. The main exclusions are dental care and nursing home stays. Individuals are entitled to state-financed premium subsidies if their expenditure on mandatory coverage exceeds a certain percentage of taxable income and wealth (in 2009, 30% of population was eligible; Federal Office of Public Health, 2012). Inpatient care is jointly financed on an approximately 46–54% basis by mandatory coverage and direct transfers from the federal government and local government (cantons). Before 2011, subsidies for inpatient hospital care were only paid for hospital stays within the canton of residency, but this rule was abolished in a health reform in 2012.”

Source: Viktor von Wyl and Konstantin Beck. “Switzerland.” In Voluntary health insurance in Europe: Country experience [Internet]. Sagan A, Thomson S, editors. Copenhagen (Denmark): European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies; 2016. Observatory Studies Series, No. 42.

Switzerland: Health System Overview - National Policies - World Health Systems Facts

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Page last updated June 12, 2025 by Doug McVay, Editor.