Canada
SwitzerlandCompare countries · Canada vs Switzerland
Canada vs Switzerland
CanadaNorth America
SwitzerlandWestern Europe
Canada is cheaper (cost of living 63.0 vs 110.7).Switzerland is more peaceful (Global Peace Index 1.363 vs 1.525), scores higher on human development (0.970 vs 0.939) and has the higher income per person ($110,330 vs $56,420).It also has the longer life expectancy (84.4 vs 82.1 years).
Safety
Switzerland is the more peaceful
- Global Peace Indexlower is more peaceful
- Canada1.525Very high safety#14 of 161IEP GPI · 2026
- Switzerland1.363Very high safety#3 of 161IEP GPI · 2026
- Homicidesper 100,000 people a year
- Canada2.0ModerateUNODC / World Bank · 2023
- Switzerland0.6Very lowUNODC / World Bank · 2023
- Safety indexNumbeo's safety index, higher is safer
- Canada54.4ModerateNumbeo · 2026
- Switzerland72.6HighNumbeo · 2026
- UK travel adviceFCDO, for British travellers
- CanadaNo advice against travelFCDO foreign travel advice, GOV.UK · read 2026-10-29
- SwitzerlandNo advice against travelFCDO foreign travel advice, GOV.UK · read 2026-10-29
Money
Income per person is higher in Switzerland
- GNI per personnational income per person, US dollars
- Canada$56,420Very highWorld Bank · 2025
- Switzerland$110,330Very highWorld Bank · 2025
- Cost of living indexexcluding rent, New York = 100
- Canada63.0ModerateNumbeo · 2026
- Switzerland110.7Very expensiveNumbeo · 2026
Health
People live longer in Switzerland
- Life expectancyyears, at birth
- Canada82.1Very high#28 of 195World Bank · 2024
- Switzerland84.4Very high#4 of 195World Bank · 2024
Work and internet
Broadband is faster in Switzerland
- Home internetmedian download speed
- Canada278 MbpsVery fast#11 of 149Ookla Speedtest · 2025
- Switzerland286 MbpsVery fast#9 of 149Ookla Speedtest · 2025
- Youth unemploymentshare of 15 to 24 year olds in the labour force
- CanadaNo figure from Eurostat
- Switzerland8.8%Very lowEurostat · 2025
How it changed
Human development: Switzerland 0.970, Canada 0.939
CanadaSwitzerland
UNDP Human Development Report, 1990–2023.
Year by year:CanadaSwitzerland
Practical facts
- Capital
- Ottawa
- Bern
- Population
- 41.7M (2025)
- 9.1M (2025)
- Languages
- English, French
- French, Swiss German, Italian, Romansh
- Currency
- Canadian dollar (CAD)
- Swiss franc (CHF)
- Area
- 8,788,700 km²
- 39,510 km²
- Plug type
- Type A/B
- Type C/J
- Drives on the
- right
- right
- Short visit
- Visa-free for UK, EU and US passports
- Visa-free for UK, EU and US passports
Short visits: passport-index-dataset, 2024, for UK, EU (German) and US passports. Population and area: World Bank. Languages, currency and driving side: restcountries.com. Plug types: worldstandards.eu.
Every figure
Canada and Switzerland, side by side
Canada leads on 19 Switzerland on 473 level115 figures. 9 are held for only one country; the other shows a dash. Rows such as population, religion and tax levels have no better or worse end, so they show both values and no verdict. Level means under 2% apart.
Money and cost26
- Median IncomeEurostat · 2024
- —
- €51,926Very high
- PPP / Cap aheadWorld Bank · 2025
- $66,746High
- $102,513Very high
- GDP / Cap aheadWorld Bank · 2025
- $55,698Very high
- $114,769Very high
- GNI / Cap aheadWorld Bank · 2025
- $56,420Very high
- $110,330Very high
- Local purchasing power aheadNumbeo · 2026
- 119.4Very high
- 170.6Very high
- Cost of Living aheadNumbeo · 2026
- 63.0Moderate
- 110.7Very expensive
- Cost of living with rent aheadNumbeo · 2026
- 48.9Very high
- 84.3Very high
- Rent index aheadNumbeo · 2026
- 31.5Very expensive
- 51.5Very expensive
- Groceries index aheadNumbeo · 2026
- 69.6Very high
- 109.7Very high
- Restaurant prices index aheadNumbeo · 2026
- 64.1Very high
- 111.3Very high
- Property Price-to-Income aheadNumbeo Property Investment · 2026
- 7.5Very affordable
- 11.4Moderate
- Price level ratio aheadWorld Bank ICP
- 1.534Very high
- 2.2Very high
- Housing OverburdenEurostat · 2024
- —
- 15.3%Very high
- Energy PovertyEurostat · 2024
- —
- 0.7%Very low
- Inflation aheadWorld Bank · 2025
- 2.1%Low
- 0.2%Very low
- Pension Replacement aheadOECD Pensions at a Glance · 2024
- 37.1%Very low
- 42.4%Low
- Bank AccountLevelWorld Bank Global Findex · 2024
- 98.4%Very high
- 98.4%Very high
- Send Remittance aheadWorld Bank Remittance Prices Worldwide · 2023
- 3%Moderate
- 4.1%High
- Tax WedgeOECD Taxing Wages · 2025
- 32.1%
- 23%
- Top Income TaxWikipedia · 2024
- 54.8%
- 62.9%
- Corporate TaxWikipedia · 2024
- 31%
- 17.9%
- VAT / GSTWikipedia · 2024
- 5%
- 8.1%
- Tax RevenueWorld Bank · 2024
- 13.7%
- 9.5%
- GDP (total)World Bank · 2025
- $2,320 bn
- $1,044 bn
- FDI InflowsWorld Bank · 2025
- 3%
- -1.2%
- Innovation aheadWIPO Global Innovation Index · 2025
- 51.1Very high
- 66Very high
Work4
- UnemploymentWorld Bank · 2025
- 6.9%
- 4.9%
- Youth UnemploymentEurostat · 2025
- —
- 8.8%Very low
- Long Work Hours aheadOECD Better Life Index · 2020
- 3.3%Low
- 0.4%Very low
- Public Holidaysdate.nager.at · 2025
- 13
- 15
Equality7
- Income Inequality aheadWorld Bank · 2022
- 31.5Low
- 33.8Moderate
- Income Share Bot. 20% aheadWorld Bank · 2022
- 7.7High
- 7.4Moderate
- Income Share Top 10% aheadWorld Bank · 2022
- 24.6Low
- 26.6Moderate
- Poverty Rate aheadWorld Bank · 2022
- 0.6%Very low
- 0.3%Very low
- Poverty RiskEurostat · 2024
- —
- 16.2%Moderate
- Gender Inequality aheadUNDP Human Development Report · 2023
- 0.052Very low
- 0.010Very low
- Inequality-Adj. HDI aheadUNDP HDR
- 0.867Very high
- 0.894Very high
Safety10
- Peace Index aheadIEP Global Peace Index · 2026
- 1.525Very high safety
- 1.363Very high safety
- Safety aheadNumbeo · 2026
- 54.4Moderate
- 72.6High
- Homicides / 100k aheadUNODC / World Bank · 2023
- 2.0Moderate
- 0.6Very low
- Crime PerceptionEurostat · 2023
- —
- 8.5%High
- Assault Rate aheadUNODC CTS · 2023
- 226.9Very high
- 9.9Low
- Robbery Rate aheadUNODC CTS · 2024
- 60.4High
- 23.7Moderate
- Sexual Violence Rate aheadUNODC CTS · 2023
- 106.1Very high
- 33.7Moderate
- Kidnapping Rate aheadUNODC CTS · 2023
- 10.1Very high
- 0.07Very low
- Road Deaths / 100k aheadWHO GHO · 2021
- 4.7Very low
- 2.4Very low
- Disaster Risk aheadWorld Risk Index · 2022
- 19Very high
- 1.030Very low
Health16
- Life Expectancy aheadWorld Bank · 2024
- 82.1Very high
- 84.4Very high
- Infant Mortality aheadWorld Bank · 2024
- 4.7Low
- 3.4Very low
- Healthcare Quality aheadNumbeo · 2026
- 68.6Good
- 71.2Good
- UHC Service Coverage aheadWHO GHO · 2023
- 92Very high
- 87Very high
- Physicians / 1k aheadWorld Bank · 2022–2023
- 2.8High
- 4.5Very high
- Hospital Beds aheadWorld Bank · 2022–2023
- 2.5Moderate
- 4.4Very high
- Out-of-Pocket Health % aheadWorld Bank · 2023–2024
- 15.3%Low
- 22%Low
- Healthcare SpendWorld Bank · 2023–2024
- $6,378
- $11,784
- Clean WaterLevelWorld Bank · 2024
- 98.3%High
- 100%Very high
- PM2.5 concentration aheadWHO GHO · 2023
- 8.8Low
- 8.1Very low
- Air-pollution Deaths / 100k aheadWHO GHO · 2021
- 8.5Very low
- 8.9Very low
- Obesity aheadWHO GHO · 2024
- 26%High
- 11.3%Very low
- Tobacco Use aheadWHO GHO · 2023
- 11%Low
- 21.3%Moderate
- Raised Blood Glucose aheadWHO GHO · 2014
- 5.5%Very low
- 4%Very low
- Suicide Rate / 100k aheadWHO GHO · 2021
- 9.4High
- 14Very high
- Alcohol L / capitaWHO GHO · 2024
- 9.2
- 8.8
Education and getting online9
- Tertiary EducationEurostat · 2025
- —
- 46.2%High
- PISA Math aheadOECD PISA Results · 2022
- 497Very high
- 508Very high
- PISA Reading aheadOECD PISA Results · 2022
- 507Very high
- 483High
- PISA Science aheadOECD PISA Results · 2022
- 515Very high
- 503Very high
- Education SpendWorld Bank · 2022
- 4.8%
- 4.9%
- English Proficiency aheadEF English Proficiency Index · 2025
- 700Native
- 564High
- Internet aheadWorld Bank · 2024–2025
- 94.4%Very high
- 97.3%Very high
- Home internet speed aheadOokla Speedtest Global Index · 2025
- 278 MbpsVery fast
- 286 MbpsVery fast
- Mobile internet speed aheadOokla Speedtest Global Index · 2025
- 113 MbpsModerate
- 124 MbpsHigh
Governance and freedom8
- Rule of Law aheadWorld Bank WGI · 2025
- 1.48Very high
- 1.74Very high
- Corruption aheadWorld Bank WGI · 2025
- 1.59Very high
- 1.98Very high
- Political Stability aheadWorld Bank WGI · 2025
- 0.81High
- 1.12Very high
- Government Effectiveness aheadWorld Bank WGI · 2025
- 1.76Very high
- 1.97Very high
- Regulatory Quality aheadWorld Bank WGI · 2025
- 1.44Very high
- 1.68Very high
- Democracy aheadEIU Democracy Index · 2025
- 9.1Very high
- 9.3Very high
- Freedom HouseLevelFreedom House · 2025
- 97Very high
- 96Very high
- Press Freedom aheadRSF World Press Freedom Index · 2026
- 78.8Good
- 84.8Good
Quality of life10
- Human Development aheadUNDP Human Development Report · 2023
- 0.939Very high
- 0.970Very high
- Happiness aheadWorld Happiness Report · 2026
- 6.74Moderate
- 7.02High
- Quality of life index aheadNumbeo · 2026
- 172High
- 206.2Very high
- Climate index aheadNumbeo · 2026
- 54.9Fair
- 80.7Excellent
- WHR: GDPWorld Happiness Report · 2026
- 1.917
- 2
- WHR: Social SupportWorld Happiness Report · 2026
- 1.525
- 1.534
- WHR: Healthy Life Exp.World Happiness Report · 2026
- 0.955
- 1.017
- WHR: FreedomWorld Happiness Report · 2026
- 0.948
- 1.035
- WHR: GenerosityWorld Happiness Report · 2026
- 0.153
- 0.148
- WHR: Corruption TrustWorld Happiness Report · 2026
- 0.321
- 0.452
People and planet23
- PopulationWorld Bank · 2025
- 41,651,653
- 9,092,436
- AreaWorld Bank
- 8,788,700 km²
- 39,510 km²
- Median AgeWorld Bank age-group shares
- 42
- 42.1
- Population GrowthWorld Bank · 2025
- 0.94%
- 0.96%
- Urban PopulationWorld Bank · 2025
- 82.9%
- 85.7%
- Net MigrationWorld Bank · 2025
- 326,204
- 37,253
- Foreign-Born %UN DESA International Migrant Stock · 2024
- 22.2%
- 31.1%
- Fertility RateWorld Bank · 2024
- 1.25
- 1.29
- Avg Household SizeOECD Family Database · 2024
- 2.4
- 2.2
- Single-Person HouseholdsOECD Family Database · 2021
- 29.3%
- 36.9%
- Lone-Parent HouseholdsOECD Family Database · 2021
- 8.7%
- 4.7%
- ChristianPew Research · 2020
- 53.3%
- 61.6%
- MuslimPew Research · 2020
- 4.9%
- 6.1%
- HinduPew Research · 2020
- 1.5%
- 0.5%
- BuddhistPew Research · 2020
- 1.7%
- 0.6%
- JewishPew Research · 2020
- 0.9%
- 0.2%
- UnaffiliatedPew Research · 2020
- 34.6%
- 30.8%
- Other religionsPew Research · 2020
- 3%
- 0.2%
- CO₂ / Capita aheadWorld Bank · 2024
- 14Very high
- 3.8High
- Renewables aheadWorld Bank · 2021
- 23.8%Moderate
- 27.7%Moderate
- Forest CoverWorld Bank · 2023
- 39.5%
- 32.4%
- Climate Vulnerability aheadND-GAIN Country Index · 2023
- 0.282Very low
- 0.251Very low
- Climate Readiness aheadND-GAIN Country Index · 2023
- 0.645Very high
- 0.691Very high
Other2
- Unmet Medical NeedEurostat · 2024
- —
- 1.4%
- Leisure TimeOECD Better Life Index · 2020
- 14.6
- —
Quick answers
Is Canada cheaper than Switzerland?
Numbeo's 2026 cost-of-living index (NYC = 100) puts Canada at 63.0 and Switzerland at 110.7. Canada is about 43% cheaper overall.
Is Canada or Switzerland safer?
On the Global Peace Index (lower = more peaceful), Canada scores 1.52 and Switzerland scores 1.36. Switzerland ranks as the more peaceful of the two.
Which has the higher quality of life, Canada or Switzerland?
On the UN Human Development Index, Canada scores 0.939 and Switzerland scores 0.970. Switzerland scores higher on this composite of income, health and education. Single indexes hide trade-offs; the full comparison above shows where each country wins.
What is life like in Canada compared to Switzerland?
GNI per capita runs $56,420 in Canada against $110,330 in Switzerland; people live 82.1 years on average against 84.4; Numbeo users rate healthcare 69 against 71. Those are national averages and they hide the thing you actually feel: capital-city costs run well ahead of the national figure in most countries, and rural provision of healthcare and internet often lags the number shown here. The table below splits it indicator by indicator.