Over the ten years between 2007 and 2017 healthy life expectancy rose by 2 years in Switzerland, according to Swiss Medical Weekly (SMW).

Healthy life expectancy is the number of years of life without an illness or handicap. In 2007 an average 65 year old man in Switzerland could expect to remain healthy until the age of 79.1 and a woman until 79.5. By 2017, these ages had risen to 81.2 (+2.1 years) and 81.0 (+1.5 years).
The data show that while women have longer life expectancy they cannot expect a greater number of healthy years than men.
Possible reasons for the improvement in healthy years are diverse and include factors such as socioeconomic conditions at the personal and national level, health behaviours (lifestyle) and the healthcare system.
A recent study suggests that people who avoid smoking, a sedentary lifestyle, obesity and daily alcohol use can live up to 11 years longer without disability than those with two or more of these behaviours.
More on this:
SMW article (in English)
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