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HEALTH

How long can you expect to live in good health in Switzerland?

Life expectancy at birth in Switzerland is currently one of the highest in the world, but with longevity on the rise a new study put a figure on how long Swiss can expect to live in good health for.

Published: 22 February 2023 17:20 CET
A person climbing a rock
People are generally happy in Switzerland. Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash

The latest findings on the trends in the Swiss population’s disability-free life expectancy, published in Swiss Medical Weekly, analysed the health of 65 to 80-year old men and women between 2007 and 2017.

The study showed that the disability-free life expectancy for both men and women aged 65 increased significantly over the 10-year study period.

The study found that by 2017 men aged 65 in Switzerland could expect to live another 16.2 years in good health. That was an increase of 2.1 years compared to 2007 when on average men could expect to live another 14.1 years without suffering a disability.

Meanwhile women in Switzerland aged 65 could expect to live for another 16 years in good health in 2017. This reflects an increase of 1.5 years compared to 2007.

In terms of overall life expectancy, so not just in good health, the study found that men aged 65 in Switzerland can expect to live for another 19.7 years and women for another 22.1 years.

So in other words although women can expect to live longer in Switzerland compared to men they are on average in poor health for longer.

Life expectancy with severe disability decreased at both ages by around 6 months in women and 2 to 3 months in men.

In addition to the findings in the current study, the Swiss Medical Weekly stated that future trends in disability-free life expectancy may be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, though only momentarily.

The authors believe that new studies should be conducted in the coming years to monitor any future trends in both Swiss people’s life expectancy with and without disability.

But why do the Swiss live longer?

According to data published by the World Health Organisation (WHO), Swiss men outlive men from other countries at a life expectancy at birth of 81.75 years, while Swiss women currently rank 7th at a median life expectancy of 85.08 years.

Overall, the Swiss have the world’s second longest life expectancy (83.45 years), only surpassed by Japan’s 84.26 years average.

While it’s comforting to assume one can enjoy a longer and more importantly healthier life in Switzerland, you may be wondering why that is the case.

While there is no one size fits all answer to this conundrum, Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office names several factors that may contribute to its residents’ longer and healthier lives, such as well-distributed material wealth, a balanced and healthy diet, low risk working conditions and the country’s clean environment.

It also states that a person’s social status can play a central role in their overall life expectancy – even more so than access to high-quality health care.

A higher social status, the Federal Statistical Office finds, often equates to a higher-level education which in turn means a person is more likely to educate themselves on the benefits of nutrition and exercise and hence, enjoy good health for a long time.

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OPINION AND ANALYSIS

OPINION: Switzerland is a better place than 20 years ago, but much can still improve

From attitudes towards foreigners and improvements in work-life balance, Clare O'Dea examines how Switzerland has changed over the last 20 years and how it hasn't ('the Swiss still don't know how to queue'). Her new book All About Switzerland is now available - details below.

Published: 18 May 2024 10:49 CEST
OPINION: Switzerland is a better place than 20 years ago, but much can still improve

In the 20 years that I’ve been writing about Switzerland, I’ve tended to focus on one part of the picture at a time. Standing back from the canvas, I can see that there has been a pretty positive evolution in the country over that time.

The change has happened in measurable ways – an extra 1.6 million inhabitants, for one thing – but also in ways that are difficult to define. What I notice is more tolerance, more questioning of the norm, and more focus on fairness.

Some of this has come about through facing up to the wrongs of the past, whether that’s the historical abuse of children in the care system, the denial of the vote to women for so long (until 1971!), or the seizing of dictators’ assets.

Although it takes a painfully long time, mistakes and injustices do eventually come to light and there has been an appropriate reaction of self-recrimination and reflection towards these wrongs, and a willingness to make amends. All this has made Switzerland a better place.

READ ALSO: Are foreigners to blame if they find the Swiss unfriendly?

The foreign factor

When it comes to foreigners, there has definitely been in a positive change in attitudes towards immigrants from the countries of the former Yugoslavia. I detected very strong prejudice against this group in my early years in Switzerland. The second generation has now grown up here and found their place in all walks of Swiss life.

Unfortunately, asylum seekers have borne the brunt of xenophobia in recent years, with the notable exception of Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s war of aggression, who were granted special treatment. Switzerland has welcomed more than 80,000 Ukrainians since 2022, about a quarter of whom have since left the country.

Several cantons, notably Neuchâtel, have led the way in extending more rights to foreign residents and making it easier for them to integrate or obtain Swiss nationality. But naturalisation rates are still low, which is a pity for the Swiss, if only they would realise that.

When I first came to live in Switzerland from Ireland, I benefitted from the newly-valid agreement on the free movement of persons with the EU and EFTA countries. Since then, hundreds of thousands of Swiss and EU/EFTA nationals have been free to move countries for work, adventure, love or retirement.

Those immigrant workers have been a boon to the Swiss economy, which has one of the highest levels of GDP per capita in the world. Travel wise, Switzerland is well and truly integrated into Europe, joining the Schengen Area in 2008.

OPINION: The true signs you are becoming more Swiss than the Swiss

Family matters

Just this week, my twin daughters, who are Swiss citizens, received their first ever ballots for the next federal and cantonal votes on June 9th. Apart from reminding me of the fact that foreigners in Switzerland are largely excluded from the democratic process, this landmark also reminds me of how times have changed in relation to maternity rights.

It is hard to believe that Swiss women did not have statutory paid maternity leave until 2005. Voters had rejected the notion that women should have guaranteed paid leave after giving birth on four previous occasions – 1974, 1984, 1987 and again in 1999.

For all those years, maternity benefits were left up to employers to dictate, which was clearly not enough protection for all mothers. Today, new mothers are entitled to 14 weeks statutory leave but most employers offer more than that. Since 2021, fathers in Switzerland have been entitled to two weeks paternity leave.

There’s definitely room for improvement in the area of work-life balance for families, and there are some ideas in the pipeline, including state subsidies for childcare. With a fertility rate of 1.39 births per woman in 2022, Swiss-born babies is not where population growth is coming from.

Taking turns

One issue that seems almost unfixable in Switzerland is the high cost of healthcare. The country has the second most expensive system in the world, after the United States. Most of the cost is shouldered by households, directly or indirectly.

Whatever about the cost, the care itself is excellent and relatively well staffed. With one in three healthcare workers holding a foreign diploma, including a large proportion of cross-border workers.

On June 9th, Swiss voters will get to decide on two people’s initiatives, both of which aim to curb the cost to consumers. My impression in the past was that the Swiss were reluctant to vote for freebies for themselves. But this may be the right timing for these proposals, considering that voters accepted an initiative in March of this year to increase the state pension by 8 per cent.

When it comes to daily life in Switzerland, politeness and order is the rule, with one exception – the Swiss still don’t know how to queue! I had this experience just the other day waiting outside a small museum that was only letting in a few people at a time. If you can cope with that fundamental flaw, the rest is easy.

All About Switzerland

A dynamic, up-to-date guide to Swiss society and current affairs, All About Switzerland ebook features a selection of 29 articles by Clare O’Dea. The articles were first published by The Local Switzerland from 2022 to 2024. The ebook is available on Amazon, Kobo and other retailers.

Originally from Dublin, Clare O’Dea has lived in Switzerland for two decades. Author of fiction and non-fiction, Clare has had a varied media career in Ireland and Switzerland, with a stint in Russia. She has contributed articles to The Local Switzerland since 2022. Her new book All About Switzerland: Selected articles from The Local Switzerland is Clare’s fourth and is available as an e-book online.

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