Country page · Europe & Central Asia
If you were born in Switzerland
1 in 1,696 babies · 0.06% of births · about 79,104 a year
Right now, about 0.06% of the world's babies are born in Switzerland — 1 in 1,696, or roughly 79,104 a year and 217 a day. Life expectancy there is 84.4 years.
How the 1 in 1,696 is calculated
This number is not based on population. It uses births: Switzerland has about 79,104 births a year, and the world has about 134,147,481. Divide one by the other and you get 0.06% — 1 in 1,696. Using population instead would understate young countries and overstate ageing ones, so every draw is weighted by births.
Life in Switzerland, in numbers
| Indicator | Value | World rank |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy women 86.2 · men 82.7 | 84.4 years | 3rd highest of 172 countries |
| Chance of dying before 5 3.9 / 1,000 | 0.4% | 27th lowest of 170 countries |
| Chance of dying before 1 3.4 / 1,000 | 0.3% | 27th lowest of 170 countries |
| Mothers who die giving birth per 100,000 births | 5 | 24th lowest of 170 countries |
| Children per woman | 1.29 | 22nd lowest of 172 countries |
| Expected years of schooling | 16.4 years | 26th highest of 168 countries |
| Tertiary enrollment | 73.5% | 41st highest of 168 countries |
| Income per person (PPP) GDP per capita, PPP | $102,513 | 6th highest of 170 countries |
| Income inequality closer to 0 = more equal | 33.50 | 99th highest of 157 countries |
| People living in cities | 85.7% | 27th highest of 172 countries |
| People working in farming | 2.2% | 22nd lowest of 171 countries |
| People using the internet | 97.3% | 11th highest of 172 countries |
| Homicide per 100,000 people | 0.6 | 15th lowest of 155 countries |
| Health costs paid out of pocket share of health spending | 22.0% | 57th lowest of 168 countries |
| Adults living with HIV | 0.20% | 95th highest of 142 countries |
| People who smoke | 23.1% | — |
How to read these numbers
Income is shown in purchasing-power-parity dollars, so it compares what money buys locally rather than market exchange rates. The under-5 rate is the share of babies who die before their fifth birthday; the maternal mortality ratio is per 100,000 live births. A Gini index closer to 0 means a more equal income distribution, and a higher number means a more unequal one.
Each indicator uses the most recent year with a non-empty value, which can differ by country; the rank compares this country with the other 171 in the dataset, not with every country on Earth. Where a value is missing, the page shows a dash rather than an estimate.
Switzerland compared with Europe & Central Asia
Life expectancy in Switzerland is 84.4 years, against a Europe & Central Asia average of 78.6. The under-5 death rate is 0.4%, versus 0.7% across the region. Income per person is $102,513, against $53,288 regionally; expected schooling is 16.4 years against 15.9. 85.7% of people live in cities, against 67.9% in the region.
| Indicator | Switzerland | Europe & Central Asia | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy | 84.4 yrs | 78.6 yrs | 73.3 yrs |
| Under-5 deaths | 0.4% | 0.7% | 2.6% |
| Income per person (PPP) | $102,513 | $53,288 | $30,311 |
| Expected schooling | 16.4 yrs | 15.9 yrs | 13.0 yrs |
| People in cities | 85.7% | 67.9% | 61.6% |
What a life there looks like
Put those numbers together and you get a life: about 84.4 years on average, with roughly 3.9 of every 1,000 babies dying before their fifth birthday. A child can expect 16.4 years of school, and income per person is around $102,513. These are averages — every life still lands somewhere on the distribution.
If you play as someone born in Switzerland
The game draws Switzerland in about 1 of every 1,696 births. From there the life runs year by year: 84.4 years of life expectancy on average, a 0.4% chance of dying before five, and an income of about $102,513 per person. Choices move the odds; the starting statistics do not.
Nearby and similar countries
- Chance of being born in Hungary — 1 in 1,719
- Chance of being born in Czechia — 1 in 1,600
- Chance of being born in Austria — 1 in 1,734
- All 172 countries
Frequently asked questions
What are the odds of being born in Switzerland?
What is life expectancy in Switzerland?
How many babies are born in Switzerland each year?
Is Switzerland a good country to be born in, in the game?
Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, with UN World Population Prospects 2024 and UN IGME for births and mortality. Values are the most recent non-empty year for each indicator; the year is noted where it differs. Page updated 24 Oct 2026.