Antibiotic usage by surveillance category in Switzerland

Switzerland: Antibiotic usage by surveillance category was 7.57 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
7.57 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day
Change on year
up 8.7%
World rank
39th
of 46 countries
All-time high
7.57 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day
in 2023
All-time low
5.77 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day
in 2021
Years of data
8
2016–2023

Antibiotic usage by surveillance category in Switzerland, 2016–2023

024682016201920232016: 6.6 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2017: 6.4 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2018: 6.7 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2019: 6.8 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2020: 5.9 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2021: 5.8 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2022: 7 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2023: 7.6 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day

Source: WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day.

Analysis

In 2023, antibiotic usage by surveillance category in Switzerland stood at 7.57 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day. That is the highest value across all 8 years on record.

The figure is up 8.7% on the previous year and up 14.6% over ten years.

That places Switzerland 39th out of 46 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 6.64 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 6.45 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 6.79 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 4
2020s 6.55 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 5.77 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 7.57 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 4

Countries ranked near Switzerland

  1. 36 Armenia 8.7 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day compare
  2. 37 Estonia 8.28 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day compare
  3. 38 Germany 8.22 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day compare
  4. 40 Hungary 7.41 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day compare
  5. 41 Austria 7.4 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day compare
  6. 42 Russia 7.35 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day compare

See the full ranking of 46 places →

More reference data data for Switzerland

All data for Switzerland →

Frequently asked questions

What is antibiotic usage by surveillance category in Switzerland?
Antibiotic usage by surveillance category in Switzerland was 7.57 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day in 2023, according to WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest antibiotic usage by surveillance category recorded in Switzerland?
The highest recorded value was 7.57 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day in 2023.
What is the lowest antibiotic usage by surveillance category recorded in Switzerland?
The lowest recorded value was 5.77 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day in 2021.
How does Switzerland rank for antibiotic usage by surveillance category?
Switzerland ranks 39th out of 46 countries with data for 2023.
Is antibiotic usage by surveillance category rising or falling in Switzerland?
Over the last ten years it is up 14.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Switzerland data come from?
The figures come from WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Antibiotic usage by surveillance category. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 8 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Antibiotic usage by surveillance category
Unit
defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day
Source
WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
46 places, 344 data points, 2016–2023
Last refreshed

Total defined daily doses of AWaRe category: Access used per 1000 inhabitants per day. Access antibiotics have activity against a wide range of common pathogens and show lower resistance potential than antibiotics in the other groups.