Life expectancy in Switzerland
Switzerland: Life expectancy was 83.07 years in 2020. ▲ Rising
Life expectancy in Switzerland, 1870–2020
Source: Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for life expectancy in Switzerland is 83.07 years, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
The figure is up 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy in Switzerland peaked at 83.07 years in 2020 and was at its lowest, 41.9 years, in 1870.
Switzerland ranks 7th of 162 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Life expectancy in Switzerland, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 41.9 years | — |
| 1880 | 42.47 years | +1.4% |
| 1890 | 45.01 years | +6.0% |
| 1900 | 47.59 years | +5.7% |
| 1913 | 54.23 years | +14.0% |
| 1925 | 59.91 years | +10.5% |
| 1929 | 60.14 years | +0.4% |
| 1933 | 62.37 years | +3.7% |
| 1938 | 63.83 years | +2.3% |
| 1950 | 68.91 years | +8.0% |
| 1955 | 70.07 years | +1.7% |
| 1960 | 71.41 years | +1.9% |
| 1965 | 72.32 years | +1.3% |
| 1970 | 73.12 years | +1.1% |
| 1975 | 74.79 years | +2.3% |
| 1980 | 75.59 years | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 76.88 years | +1.7% |
| 1990 | 77.38 years | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 78.56 years | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 79.83 years | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 81.23 years | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 82.28 years | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 82.85 years | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 83.07 years | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 41.9 years | 41.9 years | 41.9 years | 1 |
| 1880s | 42.47 years | 42.47 years | 42.47 years | 1 |
| 1890s | 45.01 years | 45.01 years | 45.01 years | 1 |
| 1900s | 47.59 years | 47.59 years | 47.59 years | 1 |
| 1910s | 54.23 years | 54.23 years | 54.23 years | 1 |
| 1920s | 60.02 years | 59.91 years | 60.14 years | 2 |
| 1930s | 63.1 years | 62.37 years | 63.83 years | 2 |
| 1950s | 69.49 years | 68.91 years | 70.07 years | 2 |
| 1960s | 71.86 years | 71.41 years | 72.32 years | 2 |
| 1970s | 73.96 years | 73.12 years | 74.79 years | 2 |
| 1980s | 76.23 years | 75.59 years | 76.88 years | 2 |
| 1990s | 77.97 years | 77.38 years | 78.56 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 80.53 years | 79.83 years | 81.23 years | 2 |
| 2010s | 82.56 years | 82.28 years | 82.85 years | 2 |
| 2020s | 83.07 years | 83.07 years | 83.07 years | 1 |
Countries ranked near Switzerland
More health data for Switzerland
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.13 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -1.27 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,104 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 46 deaths (2100)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 1 (2023)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases, per capita 0 units per person (2023)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, gaps filled 24 (2025)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Measles - number of reported cases, gaps filled 51 (2025)
- Measles - number of reported cases, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy in Switzerland?
- Life expectancy in Switzerland was 83.07 years in 2020, according to Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy recorded in Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 83.07 years in 2020.
- What is the lowest life expectancy recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.9 years in 1870.
- How does Switzerland rank for life expectancy?
- Switzerland ranks 7th out of 162 countries with data for 2020.
- Is life expectancy rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Switzerland data come from?
- The figures come from Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average number of years a newborn would live if age-specific mortality rates in the current year were to stay the same throughout its life.