Duration of working life in Switzerland

Switzerland: Duration of working life was 42.8 Year in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
42.8 Year
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
5th
of 44 countries
All-time high
42.8 Year
in 2023
All-time low
39.8 Year
in 2000
Years of data
26
2000–2025

Duration of working life in Switzerland, 2000–2025

0102030402000201220252000: 39.8 Year2001: 40.1 Year2002: 40.2 Year2003: 40.3 Year2004: 40.1 Year2005: 40.1 Year2006: 40.5 Year2007: 40.9 Year2008: 41.2 Year2009: 41.4 Year2010: 40.8 Year2011: 41.2 Year2012: 41.4 Year2013: 41.5 Year2014: 41.9 Year2015: 42 Year2016: 42.4 Year2017: 42.5 Year2018: 42.7 Year2019: 42.7 Year2020: 42.5 Year2021: 42.4 Year2022: 42.3 Year2023: 42.8 Year2024: 42.8 Year2025: 42.8 Year

Source: Eurostat. Measured in Year.

Analysis

In 2025, duration of working life in Switzerland stood at 42.8 Year. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, duration of working life in Switzerland peaked at 42.8 Year in 2023 and was at its lowest, 39.8 Year, in 2000.

That places Switzerland 5th out of 44 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.

Duration of working life in Switzerland, year by year

Annual values for Duration of working life in Switzerland, 2000 to 2025.
Year Year Change
2000 39.8 Year —
2001 40.1 Year +0.8%
2002 40.2 Year +0.2%
2003 40.3 Year +0.2%
2004 40.1 Year -0.5%
2005 40.1 Year +0.0%
2006 40.5 Year +1.0%
2007 40.9 Year +1.0%
2008 41.2 Year +0.7%
2009 41.4 Year +0.5%
2010 40.8 Year -1.4%
2011 41.2 Year +1.0%
2012 41.4 Year +0.5%
2013 41.5 Year +0.2%
2014 41.9 Year +1.0%
2015 42 Year +0.2%
2016 42.4 Year +1.0%
2017 42.5 Year +0.2%
2018 42.7 Year +0.5%
2019 42.7 Year +0.0%
2020 42.5 Year -0.5%
2021 42.4 Year -0.2%
2022 42.3 Year -0.2%
2023 42.8 Year +1.2%
2024 42.8 Year +0.0%
2025 42.8 Year +0.0%

Switzerland compared with similar countries

  • Switzerland's 42.8 Year is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 38.1 Year, 1.1× the median. (33 countries reporting)
  • Switzerland's 42.8 Year is above the median for high income countries, which is 38.6 Year, 1.1× the median. (31 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 40.46 Year 39.8 Year 41.4 Year 10
2010s 41.91 Year 40.8 Year 42.7 Year 10
2020s 42.6 Year 42.3 Year 42.8 Year 6

Countries ranked near Switzerland

  1. 2 Netherlands 44 Year compare
  2. 2 Netherlands 44 Year compare
  3. 4 Sweden 43.4 Year compare
  4. 6 Denmark 42.6 Year compare
  5. 7 Estonia 41.5 Year compare
  6. 7 Estonia 41.5 Year compare

See the full ranking of 46 places →

More reference data data for Switzerland

All data for Switzerland →

Frequently asked questions

What is duration of working life in Switzerland?
Duration of working life in Switzerland was 42.8 Year in 2025, according to Eurostat.
What is the highest duration of working life recorded in Switzerland?
The highest recorded value was 42.8 Year in 2023.
What is the lowest duration of working life recorded in Switzerland?
The lowest recorded value was 39.8 Year in 2000.
How does Switzerland rank for duration of working life?
Switzerland ranks 5th out of 44 countries with data for 2025.
Is duration of working life rising or falling in Switzerland?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Switzerland data come from?
The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Duration of working life. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Duration of working life in Switzerland. Statizoid, drawing on Eurostat. Retrieved 25 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/duration-of-working-life/switzerland/

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About this data

Indicator
Duration of working life
Unit
Year
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
46 places, 1,123 data points, 2000–2025
Last refreshed