Poverty in Switzerland refers to people who are living in relative poverty in Switzerland.
Historically, Switzerland has been a poor country, especially the Alpine region. From the 17th century, incipient industrialisation brought wealth to the cities, particularly to Zurich, but rural areas remained destitute well into the 19th century, causing the peasant war in 1653, and later forcing families to emigrate both to Russia and the New World.
In the 20th century, the economy of modern Switzerland came to establish itself among the world's most stable, and in terms of human development index (at 0.917) Switzerland ranks in the top five.
Video Poverty in Switzerland
Income and wealth
In 2013 the mean household income in Switzerland was CHF 120,624 (c. USD 134,000 nominal, USD 101,000 PPP), the mean household income after social security, taxes and mandatory health insurance was CHF 85,560 (c. USD 95,000 nominal, USD 72,000 PPP). The OECD lists Swiss household gross adjusted disposable income per capita USD 32,594 PPP for 2011.
As of 2016, Switzerland had the highest average wealth per adult, at $561,900.
This development was tied to the exchange rate between the US Dollar and the Swiss franc, which caused capital in Swiss francs to more than double its value in dollar terms during the 2000s and especially in the wake of the financial crisis of 2007-2008, without any direct increase in value in terms of domestic purchasing power.
Switzerland has the comparatively high Gini coefficient of 0.8, similar to the US and Denmark, indicating unequal distribution. The high average wealth is explained by a comparatively high number of individuals who are extremely wealthy; the median (50th percentile) wealth of a Swiss adult is five times lower than the average, at USD 100,900 (USD 70,000 PPP as of 2011).
Maps Poverty in Switzerland
Poverty
Nevertheless, Switzerland has a significant number of working poor, estimated at 145,000 in 2015. This number is out of a total of approximately 570,000 people (or about 7% of the total population) living in poverty. This number shows a slight increase from 2014 when it was 6.6%. In the same year, 8.9% of the population was making less than 50% of the median equivalised income (about EUR19,793, 24,041 SFr.), with 4.5% making less than 40% (EUR15,834, 19,232 SFr.). The median equivalised income is a number which half of the population makes more than, while half makes less. Because it uses the median it is less effected by the extremely rich.
Several groups continued to have the highest risk of poverty. They included those in a household where no one was gainfully employed (18.2% at risk of poverty), single adults living alone (12.5%), single parent households with children (12.5%) and those without any optional schooling (10.9%). Resident foreigners had a higher rate than Swiss citizens, with those from outside Europe having a poverty risk nearly twice that of citizens.
Compared to neighboring countries
As of 2016, Switzerland has a lower rate of people making 50% of the median equivalised income (8.9%) than the European Union (10.9%), United Kingdom (9.9%) and Germany (9.7%). But a higher rate than countries such as Finland 4.9%), France (6.8%) and Austria (8.1%). The following chart provides information on the percentage and total numbers of the total population at risk for poverty (making less than 50% of the median equivalised income), the employed who are at risk for poverty and the 50% level for each country in equivalent purchasing power.
By age
Those of retirement age (older than 65) had an above average poverty level (13.9%), especially if they lived alone (22.8%, see chart below). However, these high numbers are somewhat misleading because the poverty numbers don't include assets which they saved or purchased while working. Because those over 65 often have reserves, very few responded to the survey that they were going into debt or had a hard time making ends meet. The number of retirement age people who could afford an unexpected expense was almost half of the national average. In fact, only 1.9% of retirees were not able to pay their bills on time, compared to 9.3% of 18 to 64 year olds.
By sex, language and national origin
By education level
By family type
Regional statistics
- 1.^ Percent of those 25 and older who have completed the listed education.
- 2.^ An index (50 is the national average) that attempts to quantifies status. Formula is (2.5 × % Tertiary education completed)-(2.0 × % Mandatory education only)+(% Management and skilled workers) - (% Unskilled workers) + (4 × % High income) - (2 × % Low income)
- 3.^ Ratio of workers in industries classed as High Tech or Knowledge-Intensive compared to national average (set to 1.0).
See also
- Poverty by country
Literature
- Christin Kehrli, Carlo Knöpfel, Handbuch Armut in der Schweiz
- Armut in der Schweiz, Evangelical People's Party (EVP) of the canton of Zurich (1999)
References
External links
- raonline.ch
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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