Human Development & Quality of Life in Switzerland
Human Development
UNDP places Switzerland at rank 2 with a 2023 HDI of 0.970, a very high human development result. Reading beyond the headline, environmental pressure has a substantial effect on the adjusted measure: PHDI is 0.732 after a 24.5% adjustment. A second lens is equally relevant here: The income component uses GNI per capita of $81,949 in 2021 PPP dollars.
What sits inside Switzerland's HDI
For the current profile, Switzerland's health, education and income inputs are 84.0 life expectancy, 16.7 expected schooling, 13.9 mean schooling and $81,949 GNI per capita in 2021 PPP terms. They belong to the HDI calculation rather than separate DigifyWorld scores.
Inequality changes the headline
In Switzerland's profile, IHDI shows the effect of inequality on health, education and income achievements. The page keeps this distribution measure distinct from broader quality-of-life evidence.
Gender and planetary-pressure adjustments
For the 2023 development snapshot, Switzerland has additional UNDP measures of GDI 0.977, GII 0.010, PHDI 0.732. They complement one another, but none is treated as a substitute for another.
A separate quality-of-life signal
For Switzerland, the OECD series provides a comparable 2022 life-satisfaction value of 8.00/10. A life-satisfaction result is not an input to HDI and remains a separate quality-of-life signal.
What Switzerland's numbers say together
Switzerland's non-headline measures include IHDI 0.894 with a 7.8% loss; PHDI 0.732 after a 24.5% adjustment; GDI 0.977; life satisfaction 8.00/10 (2022). These measures answer different questions, so they are kept separate.
For 2023, Switzerland records HDI 0.970 and rank 2 in the UNDP table. The result should be read as a composite of health, schooling and income outcomes.
The IHDI is 0.894, and UNDP reports an overall loss of 7.8% relative to the headline index.
The GDI value is 0.977 in group 1; it should be read alongside, not merged into, HDI.
In this country profile, life satisfaction for Switzerland is shown at 8.00 on the 0-10 scale for 2022. Life satisfaction adds a different perspective and is therefore not folded into HDI.
Frequently asked questions
What is Switzerland's HDI?
The UNDP table records Switzerland at 0.970 on HDI in 2023, with global rank 2.
How does inequality affect Switzerland's HDI?
UNDP reports IHDI 0.894 for Switzerland, which is 7.8% below the headline HDI after inequality across the three dimensions is taken into account.
What is the life satisfaction score shown for Switzerland?
For 2022, the OECD comparison used here gives Switzerland a life-satisfaction observation of 8.00 on the 0-10 scale. Life satisfaction adds a different perspective and is therefore not folded into HDI.
Is HDI the same as quality of life?
No. HDI is an objective development index based on health, education and income. Life satisfaction is shown only as a separate subjective well-being measure.
Sources & methodology
Sources for the development indicators and definitions shown above.
View sources used for this page
Primary source for 2023 HDI and its components, plus IHDI, GDI, GII and PHDI where reported.
Report edition underlying the 2023 human-development indices and ranking.
Source for the dated 0-10 life-satisfaction observation. This separate measure is not part of HDI.
Data note: Reference years are shown with each indicator; unavailable observations remain unfilled.