Switzerland: Facts & Stats

Demographics

Population:

7,725,200 inhabitants (2009) Density: 186,5 inhabitants per sq. km Switzerland has 5 urban areas with over 100,000 inhabitants:

1. Zurich 965,700
2. Basel 553,300
3. Geneva 172,800
4. Bern 120,200
5. Lausanne 114,700

Healthcare:

Healthcare in Switzerland is regulated by the Federal Health Insurance Act of 1994. Health insurance is compulsory for all persons resident in Switzerland (within three months of taking up residence or being born in the country). International civil servants, members of permanent missions and their family members are exempted from compulsory health insurance. They can, however, apply to join the Swiss health insurance system, within six months of taking up residence in the country.

Health insurance covers the costs of medical treatment and hospitalisation of the insured. However, the insured person pays part of the cost of treatment. This is done (a) by means of an annual excess (or deductible, called the franchise), which ranges from CHF 300 to a maximum of CHF 2,500 as chosen by the insured person (premiums are adjusted accordingly) and (b) by a charge of 10% of the costs over and above the excess up to a stop-loss amount of CHF 700.

The compulsory health insurance covers a range of treatments which are set out in detail in the Federal Act. It is therefore the same throughout the country and avoids double standards in healthcare. It provides for treatment in case of illness or accident (unless another accident insurance provides the cover) and pregnancy. Health insurance covers the costs of medical treatment and hospitalisation of the insured. However, the insured person pays part of the cost of treatment. This is done:

• by means of an annual excess (or deductible, called the franchise), which ranges from CHF 300 to a maximum of CHF 2,500 as chosen by the insured person (premiums are adjusted accordingly);
• and by a charge of 10% of the costs over and above the excess. This is known as the retention, and is up to a maximum of 700CHF per year (excluding medication).

In case of pregnancy there is no charge. For hospitalisation, one pays a contribution to room and service costs.

Insurance premiums vary according to insurance company (Ger. Krankenkassen, Fr. caisses-maladie, It. casse malati), the excess level chosen (franchise), the place of residence of the insured person and the degree of supplementary benefit coverage chosen (dental care, private ward hospitalisation, etc.).

Education:

The education system in Switzerland is very diverse, because the constitution of Switzerland delegates the authority for the school system to the cantons. The Swiss constitution sets the foundations, namely that primary school is obligatory for every child and is free in public schools and that the confederation can run or support universities. Swiss people have voted on May 21, 2006 to reform the education system in one common program for all the cantons. Because of its diversity, there are many private international schools in Switzerland that encourage respect for all cultures.

The minimum age for primary school is about six years in all cantons but Obwalden, where it is five years and three months. Any boy or girl can take part in school if they choose to, but kids are separated depending on whether they speak French, German or Italian. Primary school continues until grade four or five, depending on the school.

At the end of primary school (or at the beginning of secondary school), pupils are separated according to their capacities in several (often three) sections. The best students are taught advanced classes to be prepared for further studies and the matura, while students who assimilate a little bit more slowly receive an education more adapted to their needs. In PISA science literacy assessment, 15-year-old students in Switzerland had the 16th highest average score of 57 countries.

Religion:

Switzerland has no country-wide state religion, though most of the cantons (except for Geneva and Neuchâtel) recognize official churches (Landeskirchen), in all cases including the Catholic Church and the Swiss Reformed Church. These churches, and in some cantons also the Old Catholic Church and Jewish congregations, are financed by official taxation of adherents.

Christianity is the predominant religion of Switzerland, divided between the Roman Catholic Church (46% of the population as of 2008) and the Swiss Reformed Church (40%). Immigration has brought Islam (4.26%) and Eastern Orthodoxy (1.8%) as sizeable minority religions. Other minority communities include various Protestant denominations (totalling 1.94%), the New Apostolic Church (0.45%), Hinduism (0.38%), Buddhism (0.29%), Judaism (0.25%), Jehovah's Witnesses (0.23%) and the Old Catholic Church (0.18%). Various other communities account for 0.31%. 11.11% of the Swiss were irreligious as of 2000, another 4.33% refused to make a statement.

According to the most recent Eurobarometer Poll 2005,

• 48% of Swiss citizens responded that "they believe there is a God".
• 39% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force".
• 9% answered that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God, or life force".

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