International survey on primary care: most Swiss doctors are satisfied with their jobs
Bern, 29.01.2026 — Primary care doctors rate the overall performance of the Swiss health system as good or very good. Almost eight in ten doctors are quite to very satisfied with their jobs, although half report feeling very or extremely stressed. These are the findings of an international survey conducted in ten countries under the aegis of the Commonwealth Fund.
In the 2025 survey, nine out of ten doctors rate the overall performance of the Swiss healthcare system as good or very good – the highest level in any of the countries studied. Nearly eight out of ten doctors in Switzerland are quite to very satisfied with their work as physicians, but when it comes to their workload and work-life balance, less than half are satisfied.
While ten years ago, three out of ten doctors in the Swiss health system described themselves as very or extremely stressed, that figure rose to five out of ten in 2025. Although doctors in Switzerland are less likely than in other countries to suffer from emotional distress in the form of anxiety, great sadness, anger or feelings of hopelessness, around a third of doctors are affected by this. While the subjective burnout level is less problematic in Switzerland than in other countries, nearly a fifth of doctors consider themselves at risk of or affected by burnout.
Demographic composition and practice types
Despite improvements in recent years, the age structure of doctors in Swiss primary care remained unbalanced in 2025, with almost half aged 55 or over. Only just under a quarter of doctors are under 45. This age structure indicates a future shortage of general practitioners. The vast majority of younger general practitioners are female, while there are more men in the older age categories. Four out of ten 60- to 64-year-old doctors in Switzerland plan to retire at the age of 65. However, only around a quarter of them have already put in place succession arrangements for their medical practice.
A growing number of primary care doctors work in group rather than solo practices compared to earlier surveys. In eight out of ten cases, the practices are owned by the doctors. Practices that are not owned by doctors usually belong to a hospital, a hospital alliance, or a private associated company.
Around half of doctors take part in a quality circle at least once a month. Doctors working in group practices manage this more often than those in solo practices. Also, training places for resident doctors are three times more likely to be offered in group practices than in solo ones. The share of practices that accept new patients has been continuously falling since 2012. In 2025, it amounted to around two thirds
Cooperation with other healthcare providers
Coordination between general practices and specialists mostly works well. The exchange of information between hospitals and general practices is almost exclusively digital (via email or web portals). Coordination between general practices and home care services has remained good since 2019.
Annual international health policy survey
Switzerland has been participating in the annual international health policy survey conducted by the Commonwealth Fund (CWF) since 2010. The Commonwealth Fund is a private, not-for-profit foundation which aims to promote efficient and high-performing healthcare systems that achieve better access to health insurance, improved quality and greater efficiency.
In Switzerland, the project is led by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), which commissions the Swiss Health Observatory (Obsan) to carry out the analyses and reporting. The survey of specific target groups is repeated every three years. As in 2012, 2015, 2019 and 2022, the 2025 survey polled primary care doctors. It was carried out in partnership with the Swiss Medical Association FMH. In 2025, 1,313 people took part. Besides Switzerland, surveys were also conducted in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.