The country slipped to 34th place out of 53 surveyed countries in the annual Expat Insider 2024 survey conducted by Internations.

This is a drop of 11 places compared to 2023.

Why the drop in ranking?

Switzerland an expensive place to live, and it’s hard to make friends – at least, that’s the verdict of many survey respondents. (Let us know your own thoughts in the comments section below)

Some 60 percent of respondents said they were dissatisfied with the cost of living in Switzerland, compared with a global figure of 39 percent. 

Some 63 percent judged housing affordability negatively, with 22 percent giving it the worst possible rating. 

This is substantially higher than the global figures – 47 and 14 percent respectively.

Furthermore, 49 percent found it hard to find a place to live when arriving in the country. 

This is another increase, on the worldwide figure of 34 percent. 

READ MORE: How hard is it to make friends in Switzerland?

Those who responded to the survey also indicated they struggled to make connections.

The country’s lowest rankings came in local friendliness (47th) and feeling welcome (46th).

Only 46 percent of respondents felt that the Swiss are friendly to foreigners (versus 61 percent globally) and 62 percent said they found making friends locally difficult (compared to 41 percent overall).  

READ ALSO: Readers tips – How to make friends in Switzerland?

Is it all bad news?

No. Those taking the survey indicated that they enjoyed a comfortable life, pointing to several responsible factors. 

Switzerland ranked 12th in terms of quality of life, with 47 percent identifying leisure options and 33 percent choosing healthcare as the determining factor. 

Additionally, 58 percent of respondents reported an income of over 100,000 US dollars a year (compared to 20 percent globally) and 57 percent said they were happy with their financial situation (54 percent worldwide). 

READ MORE: In which jobs in Switzerland do foreign workers earn more than the Swiss?

Switzerland’s transportation networks and travel infrastructure were also a big hit with international residents. 

93 percent indicated they had the opportunity to travel, compared to a worldwide figure of 83 percent, putting the country in first place for the category. 

93 percent also rated local transportation positively, over twenty percent higher than the global figure of 72 per cent. 

The report’s Expat Essentials Index also revealed that it’s generally easy to get things done online, an area of particular interest to international residents. 

The country ranked 10th in access to high-speed internet, 15th in access to online services and 16th in online availability of administrative services. Overall, it ranked 12th in terms of digital life worldwide.