Switzerland

Switzerland: steady but modest growth, 1980–2025

A stable, high-income economy centered on finance, pharmaceuticals, and precision manufacturing, Switzerland has posted consistently low volatility and low inflation across the full period. Between 1980 and 2025, Switzerland's GDP per capita grew from $19,686 to $114,769 (current US$), a compound annual growth rate of 4.0% — steady but modest growth. Annual GDP growth averaged 1.8% with a year-to-year standard deviation of 1.8 points, reflecting relatively stable macroeconomic conditions. Structurally, agriculture's share of the economy moved from 2.1% to 0.6% of GDP (a classic decline as the economy industrialized/modernized), while services rose from 65.2% to 71.7% of GDP, underscoring a shift toward a services-driven economy. On human development, life expectancy rose from 75.5 to 84.4 years, while tertiary school enrollment moved from 38.1% to 73.5%, while the urban population share grew from 61.3% to 85.7%.

What this growth cost: Growth was not without cost: per-capita CO2 emissions fell from 6.85 to 3.75 tonnes CO2e per person; income inequality (Gini index) narrowed from 36.0 to 33.8; the poverty headcount ratio fell from 0.7% to 0.2%.