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Future economic opportunities for Switzerland Facts & figures Switzerland is one of the richest countries in the world. Its standard of living is considerably high and Switzerland has, compared to other OECD countries, a relatively high gross domestic product (GDP) per inhabitant. Even higher than the United States, EU and Japan (source: Brochure 'Switzerland in Figures', UBS 2003 edition). Also, the public debt is very low compared to other OECD countries. But other countries have caught up. In a table of cumulated growth rates of the GDP (1980-2000) Switzerland is placed last. Has Switzerland rested on its laurels? Or is it simply more difficult to grow always at the same speed, when a country already has reached a relatively high level of standard of living. Over the years, Switzerland has permitted itself the luxury of accepting a low productivity in some sectors of its economy, such as agriculture.