Essay Example on Switzerland: Rich History, Low Unemployment, High GDP & Vibrant Labor Force

Introduction

Switzerland is rich in history, and it has a lot of unique facts based on its history and demographic trends. The country acquired its independence back in 1499 from the Roman Empire, and it acquired its constitution in 1848 (Central Intelligence Agency, 2010). However, the essential facts about the country include having a prosperous economy with low unemployment rates, a high GDP per capita, as well as a skilled labor force. Besides, the life expectancy rates in the country have increased over the years. An increase in these rates has been driven by the mortality declines from the aged. More so, the determinants of deaths take place in adult life, meaning most risks of death are mitigated at an early age. As such, the paper will focus on the historical analysis and prognosis of the mortality rates of both males and females in Switzerland concerning age and time since 1950.

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The General Population insights of Switzerland

The general population of Switzerland has been increasing over the years since 1950. As of 1950, the population density was 113.1; in 1951, the population density was 114.5. The increasing trend continued in the following years because, as of 1960, the population density was 128.3, and in 1970 the population density was estimated to be 149.4. Later in 2010, the population density had increased up to 189.7 (United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division: Population Density, 2013). The general trend of population density in Switzerland is shown below in figure 1. If this trend continues, then it is highly likely that the population density will continue increasing.

Deaths in Switzerland

To acquire insights on death rates in Switzerland since 1950, the crude death rate (CDR) will be used. The CDR indicates the number of deaths occurring annually per 1000 individuals. The crude death rate of Switzerland has been reducing over the years since 1950. There are many causes of death in the country, but the deaths have significantly reduced, especially for the children and the working-age population. These deaths have reduced due to a prosperous economy and adequate care for everyone in the country. Besides, the crude death rates correlate perfectly with life expectancy. That is, as the crude death rates reduce, the life expectancy increases. As such, the crude death rates reduced from 10 in 1950 to 8 in 2010.

Causes of Deaths in Switzerland

Most of the deaths in this country are caused by non-communicable diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, mental and health disorders, as well as respiratory diseases. The HIV epidemic also a leading cause of deaths in Switzerland, as well as other diseases such as TB. Lastly, there are other significant causes of death, such as accidents and violent causes of deaths, such as natural hazard fatalities. It is estimated that since 1972, a lot of deaths have been caused by floods, landslides, and rockfall events in Switzerland (Badoux, Andres, Techel, & Hegg, 2016). All these causes have played a lot of roles in the number of deaths in Switzerland.

Male and Female General Mortality Rates

The number of male deaths after every five years has increased since the 1950s. For instance, from 1950-1955, the number of male deaths was estimated to be 125,000. In the following five years from 1955-1960, the number of male deaths was 131,000, and in the next following years from 1960-1965, 1965-1970, and 1970-1975, the number of male deaths was estimated to be 141,000, 148,000, and 150,000 respectively. The male deaths continued to increase gradually over the years up to the period of 1990-1995, where the males’ deaths were estimated to be 160,000. However, in the following period, up to 2010, the male deaths decreased gradually to 149,000 (United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, 2013).

Female deaths per every five years since 1950 have also experienced the same trend. However, these deaths were slightly lower compared to male deaths. Ideally, in the period between 1950 and 1955, female deaths were estimated to be 119,000. In the following five years, the number of female deaths was estimated to be 123,000 (United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, 2013). These numbers increased significantly, like those of men, to reach 160,000 female deaths in the period between 1995 and 2000. Later on up to 2010, the female deaths decreased slightly to 158,000.

Male and Female deaths based on Age and the Prognosis in the Future Years

The number of both male and female deaths in terms of age groups from 0 years up to 95 years seems to increase over the years. Precisely, for males in the period between 1950 and 1955, it is estimated that there were 9,000 deaths of males between the age of 0-4 years. In the age brackets of 5-9, 10-14, 15-19, and 20-24, there were 1,000 deaths in each age bracket. Besides, in the age brackets of 25 to 39 years, the number of male deaths was estimated to be 6,000, and in the age brackets of 40-49 years, the male deaths were estimated to be 8, 000. Further, in the age bracket of 50 to 60 years, the number of male deaths was estimated to be 16,000. Lastly, in the elderly age bracket of 60 years and above, the number of male deaths was estimated to be 82,000.

The number of deaths continued with the same trend, with most deaths coming from elderly persons. A look at the recent years portrays that between 2005 and 2010, there was a decrease in deaths among infants since the number of male infants who died in this period was estimated to be 1,000. In the age bracket of 5-9 years and 10 to 14 years, the number of male deaths was less than 1,000 in each age bracket. Further, in the age bracket of 20-30 years and 30 to 50 years, the number of male deaths was estimated to be 2,000 and 19,000, respectively. Finally, in the age bracket of more than 60 years, the number of male deaths was estimated to be 126,000 (United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, 2013). With these statistics of male deaths across the years, one can conclude that the deaths increased as people age since most of the males who have died are in the age bracket of sixty years and above. This trend is likely to continue the coming years with males above 60 years dying the most.

For the females, the same case was replicated, but the number of female deaths was slightly lower. For instance, in the period between 1950 and 1955, the number of female deaths in the age bracket of 0-4 years was estimated to be 6,000. In the following age brackets of 5-9, 10-14, and 15-20 years, the number of deaths was less than one thousand. However, in the age bracket of 20-30 years, the number of female deaths was 2,000. The number of deaths continued to increase since, in the age brackets of 30-50 years, the number of deaths in this period was estimated to be 19,000. Lastly, in the age brackets of 60 years and above, the deaths were estimated to be 92,000. The numbers per age group increased steadily over the years such that in the period between 2005 and 2010, there were 1000 deaths of kids aged 0-4 years. In the age groups of 5 years to 30 years, the number of deaths was less than 1000 for every age group. More so, in the age groups of 30 to 60 years, the number of female deaths was estimated to be 11,000, but in the age brackets of 60 years and above, female deaths were estimated to reach 129,000. Hence, elderly females had higher chances of death. The same scenario is likely to continue in the future, with most deaths coming from females aged 60 years and above.

Conclusion

Cases of deaths in Switzerland are likely to continue increasing because of the high population. However, the crude death rates that measure deaths based on the population are expected to decrease due to better living conditions in Switzerland. Finally, both males and females aged above 60 years are still likely to die the most.

References

Badoux, A., Andres, N., Techel, F., & Hegg, C. (2016). Natural Hazard Fatalities in Switzerland from 1946 to 2015. Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, 16(12), 2747-2768. https://www.nat-hazards-earth-syst-sci.net/16/2747/2016/nhess-16-2747-2016.pdf

Central Intelligence Agency. (2010, June). The World Fact Book: Europe, Switzerland. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sz.html

United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2013). World Population Prospects: The 2012 Revision, DVD Edition. United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/database/index.asp

United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2013). World Population Prospects: The 2012 Revision, DVD Edition. http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/unpp/panel_indicators.htm