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LIVING IN SWITZERLAND

Pigs, jobs and money: What the new data reveals about Switzerland

Even if you have been living in Switzerland for a while, there are still some interesting things to learn about the country.

Published: 19 April 2024 14:13 CEST
Pigs, jobs and money: What the new data reveals about Switzerland
Who knew — pigs outnumber cows in Switzerland. Image by Roy Buri from Pixabay

Yes, there are chocolate, cheese, and cows, but they only partly represent what Switzerland is all about — not even if you throw watches, banks, and army knives into the mix.

But new data released by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) on Friday completes that picture with some interesting facts and figures about the country.

Here are some of them.

Life expectancy at birth

Switzerland is known to have one of the world’s highest life expectancy rates, and the study confirms that: 85.4 years for women and 81.6 years for men.

Demographers attribute this longevity to factors like good access and quality of healthcare, along with generally high standard of living.

READ ALSO: The reasons why living in Switzerland can prolong your life 

Employment

Switzerland has been experiencing higher immigration, with the population expected to reach the 10-million mark within the next few years.

Out of the 5.2-million-strong workforce, 1.7 million are foreign nationals: 78.3 are permanent residents, and  the remaining 21.7 percent are cross-border commuters.
 
FSO also found that 45 percent work in or around just five cities: Zurich, Basel, Bern, Geneva, and Lausanne.

Economy

The country boasts one of the world’s strongest and most prosperous economies.

According to FSO’s latest findings, Switzerland’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) — the total value of goods and services provided in a country during one year — amounts to 781,460 million francs.

This translates to 88,717 francs per inhabitant.

Cattle (yes, you heard it right, cattle)

Switzerland has just over 1.5 million head of cattle.

You might think that cows constitute the majority but no — the pigs do.

Roughly 1.3 million pigs live in Switzerland and ‘only’ 670,000 cows (no data is available for goats).

However, cows have an edge over pigs in at least one area: they have names, with Fiona, Diana, Bella, Bianca, and Nina being the most popular. (For pigs, we only know of Babe). 

READ ALSO : Why are cows so important in Switzerland? 

The happiness factor

Nearly 70 percent of Switzerland’s population say that are happy and satisfied with their lives, while 3 percent are not (27 percent remain neutral on this issue).

Just over 8 percent of residents are classified as poor (so probably not happy) — that is, earning  less than 2,284 francs per month for an individual, and 4,010 per month per month for a family.
 
Politics

Thanks of Switzerland’s unique system of direct democracy, 666 referendums have been held since 1848 — the year the country’s constitution was created.

Half of those were held in the last 40 years.

Of the political parties, the Swiss People’s Party has the highest representation in the parliament (47.9 percent) and the Greens the lowest (9.8 percent).

Public spending

The government is spending just over 82 million a year, with the bulk of this money earmarked to fiancé the social security scheme, followed by public transport and education.

The least is spent on environmental protection.

Social security

Just over quarter million people in Switzerland — 256, 800 to be exact — receive social security payments; 27 percent of the GDP goes toward social welfare.

Of that, most (42 percent) is spent on pensions,  followed by healthcare (33 percent).

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MONEY

Do adult children in Switzerland have to support their parents financially?

Usually, it is the parents’ responsibility to ensure their kids are well taken care of financially. But can Swiss authorities force the children to return the favour in times of need?

Published: 30 April 2024 15:31 CEST
Do adult children in Switzerland have to support their parents financially?

In most cases, once children are grown up and out of the house, they are (or at least should be) self-sufficient in terms of finances.

Parents too should breathe a sigh of relief that they are no longer obligated to pay for their children’s expenses, except perhaps for giving them some money here and there as a gift.

This is what happens in the best-case scenario.

But what if things don’t go according to this plan — for instance, if the parents find themselves in financial straits and can’t  afford to pay their bills?

Family obligations

Generally speaking, the truly needy people who don’t have enough income to pay for their basic living expenses will receive financial help from the government, in the very least in the form of the health insurance and housing subsidy.

READ ALSO: Can I get financial help in Switzerland if I’m struggling to pay the bills?

However, before doling out public money, authorities will see whether relatives should be made to help the struggling individuals pay their bills.

(In this context, ‘relatives’ means only those in the direct line of descent: grandparents, parents, and children.)

They will do it by checking the tax status of these relatives — how much they earn and what other financial assets they have — to determine whether, and how much, they should be paying toward their parents’ expenses.

Obviously, you will be expected to pay up only if your own financial situation allows it; you will not be forced to part with your money if you have very little of it yourself.

 ‘Favourable financial circumstaces’

Based on a Federal Court ruling, if the adult child  lives in ‘favourable financial circumstances’ they are required to help out their struggling parents.

The Court defined ‘favourable financial circumstances’ as income and assets allowing a comfortable life.

‘Comfortable life’, in turn, was defined by the Swiss Conference for Social Welfare (SKOS), as a taxable annual income of 120,000 francs for a single person, and 180,000 francs for married couples.

“If you have minors in your household, the limit is increased by 20,000 francs per child,” according to AXA insurance.

It goes on to say that you can deduct an exempt amount from your taxable assets.

“Your annual depletion of assets is deducted from the remaining amount. This means that if you are obligated to provide financial support, you are permitted to use part of your assets yourself each year; you don’t have to devote your entire assets to providing support.”

At between 18 and 30 years of age, this is 1/60th per year; from 31 to 40, 1/50th per year; 41 to 50, 1/40th per year; 51 to 60, 1/30th per year; and from the age of 61,1/20th per year. 

Are there any exemptions to these rules?

Aside from not having sufficient funds, you could be exempted from paying if, say, your parents, or parent, have not lived up to their own financial obligations toward you.

In Switzerland, parents are required to  provide financially for their children until the age of majority, and even beyond that if they are still studying or undergoing vocational training — typically, until the mid-20s.

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