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Interest Rates for Savings in Switzerland Compared Internationally

March 28, 2023 - Daniel Dreier

How do the interest rates of Swiss private accounts, savings accounts, and fixed deposits compare with those offered by banks in other countries? Find a clear international comparison here.

How bad or good do Swiss have it compared to savers in other countries? Here, moneyland.ch compares average interest rates in Switzerland with those in a selection of other countries.

Average interest rates for savings by country

Statistics about average interest rates provide a good picture of the overall market for savings products.

This is how average interest rates for Swiss private accounts, savings accounts, and fixed deposits compare to those offered by banks in other countries:

Product Switzerland Eurozone Japan Norway United Kingdom USA
Private accounts 0.02% 0.1% 0.001% 1.42% 0.89% 0.06%
Savings accounts 0.189% 0.86% 0.004% 3.2% 3.51% 0.33%
Fixed deposits 1.19% 1.64% 0.008% 3.2% 3.51% 0.938%

The statistics used in this table indicate rates as per January, 2023. Average rates in Switzerland are provided by moneyland.ch. Statistics for other countries are taken from official sources. Rates for fixed deposits are based on a 5-year term.

Highest available interest rates for savings by country

The actual interest rate you get varies depending on which bank you use. It can be much higher or much lower than the average.

These are the highest available interest rates for private accounts, savings accounts, and fixed deposits in March, 2023:

Product Switzerland Eurozone Japan Norway United Kingdom USA
Private accounts 0.75% 1.25% 0.2% 3.04% 2% 2.02%
Savings accounts 1.55% 2.55% 0.2% 3.35% 4% 5.02%
Fixed deposits 1.63% 3.99% 0.28% 2.65% 4.6% 4.5%

The rates provided in this table are taken from local financial comparison portals on March 28, 2023. Figures for Switzerland are taken from moneyland.ch comparisons. Note that comparison portals may not account for all banks and offers.

You can find the latest Swiss interest rates using the interactive banking comparisons on moneyland.ch.

Key interest rates

The interest rates offered by commercial banks generally follow the key interest rates set by central banks. However, depending on which bank you use, the interest rates you get may be higher or lower than the central bank interest rates.

Here you can see how the key interest rate of the Swiss National Bank (SNB) compares with those of central banks in other countries:

  Switzerland Eurozone Japan Norway United Kingdom USA
Key interest rate 1.5% 2% -0.1% 3% 3.5% 4.33%

The key interest rates in this table are accurate as per March 28, 2023.

Inflation rates

The rate of inflation in your country determines the real interest which you earn. Here, you can compare the current inflation rate in Switzerland with those of other countries:

  Switzerland Eurozone Japan Norway United Kingdom USA
Inflation rate 3.4% 8.5% 3.3% 6.3% 10.4% 6.04%

Inflation statistics used in this table are for February, 2023.

To find out how much interest you are really earning in terms of purchasing power, simply subtract the inflation rate from the savings interest rate using the real interest rate calculator on moneyland.ch.

More on this topic:
How do Swiss income taxes compare to other countries?
How do Swiss credit cards compare to other countries?
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Editor Daniel Dreier
Daniel Dreier is editor and personal finance expert at moneyland.ch.
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