This indicator is currently being revised as new data is available.
In 2017, 12,4% of the population in Switzerland had osteoarthritis or arthritis and 3,8% osteoporosis. In total, 14.1% of the inhabitants live with at least one of these diagnoses.
Overall, musculoskeletal diseases increase with increasing age. For example, 0,4% of 15-24 year-olds have osteoarthritis (or arthritis) compared with 33,4% of 75-year-olds and above. Osteoporosis also rises considerably in the same age categories from 0,0% (15-24 year-olds) to 15,2% (over 75-year-olds). Osteoporosis is much more common among women than it is among men. From the age of 75 onwards, women are seven times more likely to be affected than men of the same age.
This indicator is part of the Monitoring System Addiction and NCD (MonAM) of the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH).
According to the World Health Organization, musculoskeletal diseases are the main factor leading to physical disabilities. They are often accompanied by chronic pain, lead to restrictions in mobility and can contribute to a forced early retirement. In Switzerland, around one sixth of all new IV/AI pensions due to illness find their cause in the bones and the musculoskeletal system.
This indicator was calculated on the basis of data from the Swiss Health Survey (SHS). It shows the percentage of the population aged 15 and over with osteoarthritis/arthritis or osteoporosis.
In 2017, the indicator took into account people who gave an affirmative answer to the following questions in the telephone interview (TKRAN11c, TKRAN11d) of the Swiss Health Survey (SHS):
Federal Office of Public Health FOPH
Tel. +41 58 462 95 05
media@bag.admin.ch
Tel. +41 58 463 60 45
obsan@bfs.admin.ch
https://www.obsan.admin.ch/en/contact