The Swiss voice in the world since 1935
Top stories
Stay in touch with Switzerland

Many Swiss believe quality of life will suffer on retirement

Pension: many Swiss won't make it to maintain living tenor
Pension: many Swiss won't make it to maintain living tenor Keystone-SDA

More than a quarter (27%) of Swiss believe they will not be able to maintain their standard of living after retirement.

+Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox

The share rises to 46% in French-speaking Switzerland, while dropping to 21% in German-speaking Switzerland, according to a survey commissioned by insurer Axa, which did not take into account Ticino.

The demographic survey – 1,009 people were questioned – shows that the age group most concerned is the over-60s, where the share of those who think they will have to cut back on their budget stands at 37%. Also important is the gap between women (36%) and men (22%).

+ Did you emigrate after retiring because you couldn’t make ends meet at home?

Two-thirds of people aged 50-65 (64%) have already taken care of retirement funding, with the frequency increasing with age. But one in five (19%) workers nearing retirement (i.e., over 60) have not yet thought about how they will finance the new phase they are about to experience: the main reason cited for not addressing the issue is lack of money.

When it comes to deciding whether to receive second-pillar retirement assets in the form of a lump sum or an annuity, only 65% of respondents aged 50-65 know the different tax implications. Overall, less than half (36%) of people are able to estimate whether and how much they will inherit: of these, only slightly more than a quarter consider inheritance an essential part of retirement planning.

Only slightly less than a quarter (23%) of the sample is of the opinion that one can finance retirement exclusively from the first and second pillars. The remainder of the Swiss (77%) are aware that a private pension alternative should be used.

+ ‘Swiss pensioners who live abroad in luxury are an exception’ 

Three-quarters of respondents between the ages of 18 and 65 (75%) have opted for a solution in the third pillar: in this area, securities formulas have become increasingly popular in recent years.

“We note with pleasure that large segments of the population have realised that retirement planning is also a private matter,” says Herbert Goll, an AXA executive, quoted in a statement.

Translated from Italian by DeepL/ts

This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.

If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

A live scarecrow competition to thrill Denens (VD)

More

Live scarecrow competition set to thrill Swiss

This content was published on The Fête de l'Epouvantail (scarecrow festival) is celebrating its 30th anniversary and returns to Denens in canton Vaud for its seventh edition from July 10-20.

Read more: Live scarecrow competition set to thrill Swiss
Man dies in accident on toboggan run in Matten near Interlaken BE

More

Man dies on Swiss toboggan run

This content was published on A 35-year-old man has died in a work accident at the valley station of the Heimwehfluh toboggan run in Matten near Interlaken, canton Bern.

Read more: Man dies on Swiss toboggan run
The Swiss embassy in Tehran reopens

More

Swiss embassy in Tehran re-opens

This content was published on The Swiss embassy in Tehran re-opened on Sunday after being closed on June 20 owing to the unstable situation in the country.

Read more: Swiss embassy in Tehran re-opens
Queen of the Netherlands attends European Championship match in Lucerne

More

Euro 2025: Dutch queen cheers on team in Lucerne

This content was published on Queen Maxima of the Netherlands and her youngest daughter Princess Ariane attended the Netherlands' women's European Championship football match against Wales in Switzerland on Saturday.

Read more: Euro 2025: Dutch queen cheers on team in Lucerne
30-year-old charged with drone flight at Women's European Championships

More

Man charged with flying drone at women’s Euro 2025

This content was published on A man flew a drone around the venue on Wednesday evening during the first match of the Women's EURO 2025 in St. Gallen. The 30-year-old violated the absolute ban on flying during match days. He was reported to the police.

Read more: Man charged with flying drone at women’s Euro 2025
257 Swiss companies are members of the SBTi

More

More than 250 Swiss companies sign CO2 reduction initiative

This content was published on A total of 257 companies from Switzerland have signed up to the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). In doing so, they are committing to CO2 reduction targets that are compatible with the Paris Climate Agreement.

Read more: More than 250 Swiss companies sign CO2 reduction initiative

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR