Economics

The standard of living is very high in all of Switzerland, but especially Zurich. The whole city is industrial, cultural, and economic, and known to be rich and clean. Switzerland has one of the world's highest living standards, ranked at 11th in 2011. Since it is such a small country, it is easier for them to maintain this standard. The whole country is run on hydroelectric power, a very clean, green source of energy, with less than 3% of the country being run of fossil fuels.

Per Capita GDP
The Per Capita GDP is about $66,367. This is similar to the United States's, indicating that the standard of living is similar.

Major Industries
In Zurich, the most abundant industries are banking, tourism, and appliances. Zurich attracts many tourists with its churches and popular places to shop, such as Bahnhofstrasse, the Main Street. Banking is huge, with many people employed in this industry. Most of the economy is based on trade with foreign trade, seeing as Switzerland has little resources. They export large amounts of materials to other countries. Switzerland holds about 10% of the worlds assets and specializes in investment and insurance.

This is a map of all of the locations of banks in Zurich. As you can see, there are many!

Natural Resources
Switzerland has little to no natural resources, so they base most of their economy on exports and trading.

Currency
As they are not part of the European Union, Switzerland does not use the Euro, but the Swiss Franc. However, because they are not part of the EU, Switzerland can be a trading partner, and is their most important one. Using the Swiss Franc allows the country to be a safe haven for foreign investors because the value of the Franc continues to climb, even in tough economic times.

Swiss Bank Notes

Literacy Rate

The literacy rate of Switzerland is 99%, indicating that most people are educated. It is the responsibility of each canton to monitor their education system. Typically, students go to primary, secondary, tertiary, and adult education. At the age of 16, children have the choice to continue a higher education or attend vocational training for direct entry into the job market.