Self-rated state of health

Relevance/Result

Recommended by the EU and included in the MEHM (Minimum European Health Module, a module incorporated into European health surveys), this indicator is very well known and used. It covers various aspects of health (physical, mental and social). Many longitudinal studies have shown that it is a very good predictor of mortality or serious illness. It is thus a good synthetic indicator of the population’s health as it rather subjectively reflects the overall quality of life of individuals.

Note: On the German and French version of this page, the tables have been updated with the latest data. Graphs and texts will be updated shortly.

The proportion of persons saying that they are in good to very good health varies in a statistically significant way by migration status. Persons from the second or subsequent generations have the highest rate (89%), followed by those without a migration background (87%). With a rate of 82%, the first generation was the least likely to say that they were in good or very good health. The fact that the population with a migration background from the second or subsequent generations is younger than that without a migration background and the first generation partly explains this result.

Trends over time

From 2012 to 2020, the proportion of persons who said that they were in good to very good health significantly increased in most population groups. This increase was not statistically significant in the population with a migration background from the second or subsequent generations. The population with a migration background from the first generation saw the greatest increase (+4.3 percentage points).

Canton

In most cantons, the proportion of people without a migration said more often they were in good to very good health than the population with a migration background. This difference is nonetheless only statistically significant in the cantons of Bern, Schwyz, Glarus, Solothurn, Basel-Landschaft, St. Gallen, Aargau, Thurgau, Ticino and Geneva.

Definitions

This indicator is linked to an assessment by the individual of his or her general state of health. More specifically, this concerns the proportion of people who say that they are in good or very good health.

You can access the indicators in one of the following ways

All indicators

Some 68 indicators describe the current situation and changes in the integration of the population with a migration background and/or of foreign nationals in Switzerland in eleven areas of life in our society.

Key indicators

34 key indicators provide an overview of the progress made on the journey towards integration and the state of integration of the population with a migration background. If this information is lacking, the population is shown by nationality, and where this variable is available, the country of birth.