You may recall at one point our former PM Goh Chok Tong promised/claimed that Singapore will reach Swiss Standard of Living. I checked. He made the "prediction" in 1984 that we would reach Swiss 1984 Standard of living by 1999. We made in in 2000. Just off by a year.
But there are still... sceptics.
Who are able to provide anecdotal or cherry-picked data to make their point.
This is not a rebuttal of their point, or points. This is a presentation of... the wider picture.
Comparison between SG & Switzerland
| Singapore | Switzerland |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | GDP - per capita (PPP): |
| $82,800 (2014 est.) | $58,100 (2014 est.) |
| $80,400 (2013 est.) | $57,000 (2013 est.) |
| $77,000 (2012 est.) | $55,900 (2012 est.) |
| note: data are in 2014 US dollars | note: data are in 2014 US dollars |
| country comparison to the world: 7 | country comparison to the world: 16 |
| Infant mortality rate: | Infant mortality rate: |
| total: 2.48 deaths/1,000 live births | total: 3.67 deaths/1,000 live births |
| male: 2.65 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 4.03 deaths/1,000 live births |
| female: 2.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.) | female: 3.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.) |
| country comparison to the world: 221 | country comparison to the world: 199 |
| Life expectancy at birth: | Life expectancy at birth: |
| total population: 84.68 years | total population: 82.5 years |
| male: 82.06 years | male: 80.22 years |
| female: 87.5 years (2015 est.) | female: 84.92 years (2015 est.) |
| country comparison to the world: 3 | country comparison to the world: 9 |
| Health expenditures: | Health expenditures: |
| 4.6% of GDP (2013) | 11.5% of GDP (2013) |
| country comparison to the world: 146 | country comparison to the world: 12 |
| Physicians density: | Physicians density: |
| 1.95 physicians/1,000 population (2013) | 4.05 physicians/1,000 population (2012) |
| Hospital bed density: | Hospital bed density: |
| 2 beds/1,000 population (2011) | 5 beds/1,000 population (2011) |
| Drinking water source: | Drinking water source: |
| improved: | improved: |
| urban: 100% of population | urban: 100% of population |
| total: 100% of population | rural: 100% of population |
| total: 100% of population | |
| unimproved: | unimproved: |
| urban: 0% of population | urban: 0% of population |
| total: 0% of population (2015 est.) | rural: 0% of population |
| total: 0% of population (2015 est.) | |
| Sanitation facility access: | Sanitation facility access: |
| improved: | improved: |
| urban: 100% of population | urban: 99.9% of population |
| total: 100% of population | rural: 99.8% of population |
| unimproved: | total: 99.9% of population |
| urban: 0% of population | unimproved: |
| total: 0% of population (2015 est.) | urban: 0.1% of population |
| rural: 0.2% of population | |
| total: 0.1% of population (2015 est.) | |
| Unemployment, youth ages 15-24: | Unemployment, youth ages 15-24: |
| total: 6.7% (2012 est.) | total: 8.4% |
| country comparison to the world: 121 | male: 8.8% |
| female: 8.1% (2012 est.) | |
| country comparison to the world: 111 | |
In terms of GDP per capita, SG is ranked 7th (even in 2017). The six countries with higher per capita GDP? Liechtenstein, Qatar, Monaco, Macau, Luxembourg, and Bermuda. Not exactly known as economic powerhouses. More renowned as tax havens, and financial hubs.
Not that SG with our paltry economy is an economic powerhouse. Our GDP is less than $530billion (PPP), and ranked 38th in the world.
In 39th place? Switzerland.
(For more bragging rights, HK is 43rd, Qatar is 52nd, NZ is 68th, Macau is 98th, Luxembourg is 105th, Monaco is 165th, Bermuda is 172nd, and Liechtenstein is 179th.)
In terms of Health expenditure as a percentage of GDP, we look miserly. Only 4.6% of GDP. Switzerland spends 11.5%. And provides 5 hospital beds per 1000 population (SG only provides 2), and 4.05 doctors per 1000 population (SG only 1.95 doctors).
BUT, for the small expenditure on healthcare, SG has lower infant mortality (2.48) compared to Switzerland (3.67), and we have a longer life expectancy (84.68 yrs, compared to the Swiss 82.5 yrs).
And Bloomberg's 2018 article ranked SG 2nd, and Switzerland 12th in healthcare.
(CNN's 2017 ranking was quite similar.)
This post was sitting in my draft folder until this video (below) was released and got me thinking. It is not directly relevant to the comparison for SG & Switzerland, but it does explain SG's history and progress in the last 50 years or so.
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