Welfare payments in 2018 averaged CHF10,379 per person
In this staged photo, a debt adviser speaks to a client
Keystone
Net expenditure on social assistance in Switzerland increased by 1.3% in 2018 compared with the previous year. The government, cantons and municipalities paid out a total of CHF8.4 billion ($8.6 billion).
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/ts
Português
pt
Ajuda social em 2018 pagou em média CHF10.379 por pessoa
Each recipient of social assistanceExternal link received an average of CHF10,379, the Federal Statistical Office said in a statement on Tuesday. This is an increase of 2.4% on 2017. Expenditure per beneficiary had risen by 1.6% in 2017 and by 1.7% in 2016.
The figures differ from canton to canton: the highest benefits per beneficiary were seen in cantons Basel City, Vaud, Zurich, Bern and Solothurn, where beneficiaries received between CHF11,421 and CHF11,881 per year. The lowest average amount was paid in canton Appenzell Inner Rhodes (CHF4,648), followed by Fribourg and Obwalden (more than CHF6,000).
Supplementary benefits absorb 46.2% of the CHF8.4 billion, economic social assistance 34%, family allowances just under 11%, advances on maintenance payments 5% and housing allowances 3.4%.
Economic social assistance in the narrow sense – also called economic social assistance – does not take into account recipients of a supplementary benefit to the Old Age and Survivors/Disability Insurance, nor of various forms of support for families, housing and the unemployed.
Fewer beneficiaries
The number of beneficiaries decreased slightly. After record years between 2014 and 2016 when about 9.6% of the population was receiving social assistance in the broader senseExternal link, this rate declined by 0.1 percentage points in the following two years (9.5%).
Spending decreased slightly on asylum and refugees. In these two areas, costs rose steadily between 2008 and 2017 from CHF330 million to CHF988 million. In 2018 they fell for the first time in ten years by 2.5% to CHF961.7 million.
This content was published on
Denying Swiss passports if applicants have received welfare assistance could result in fewer people in need asking for help, an expert warns.
As a Swiss Abroad, how do you feel about the emergence of more conservative family policies in some US states?
In recent years several US states have adopted more conservative policies on family issues, abortion and education. As a Swiss citizen living there, how do you view this development?
What factors should be taken into account when inheriting Swiss citizenship abroad?
Should there be a limit to the passing on of Swiss citizenship? Or is the current practice too strict and it should still be possible to register after the age of 25?
This content was published on
The value of frozen Russian assets in Switzerland currently stands at CHF 7.4 billion, the Swiss Confederation announced on Tuesday. This represents an increase of CHF 1.6 billion in one year. Additional assets have been identified, according to the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs.
This content was published on
The number of business start-ups in Switzerland accelerated in the first three months of the year, with entrepreneurs being particularly dynamic in Central Switzerland, Basel and Geneva.
Most Swiss authorities want to ban Nazi symbols in public
This content was published on
A majority of Swiss political parties, cantons and associations want to ban the use and distribution of Nazi symbols in public.
This content was published on
French and Swiss armoured and artillery units will train together to strengthen the defence capabilities of the Swiss army.
Harmful substances in particulate matter underestimated: Swiss research
This content was published on
Measurements significantly underestimate the amount of harmful substances in particulate matter, says an international research team under Swiss leadership.
Switzerland reopens its humanitarian office in Kabul
This content was published on
Switzerland opened its humanitarian office in Kabul in mid-March to provide targeted aid to the Afghan population in distress.
This content was published on
In 2018, some 272,700 people received social assistance payments, compared with around 278,000 the previous year. It’s the first time since 2008 that both overall numbers and the rate of beneficiaries declined. The rate of social welfare beneficiaries dropped from 3.3% to 3.2%, the FSO reported. Marc Dubach from the stats office told public broadcaster…
Swiss court backs residency request of welfare recipient
This content was published on
The Federal Administrative Court has overturned the decision of the State Secretariat for Migration to refuse residence permits to the children of a foreigner who received social assistance while studying in Switzerland.
This content was published on
Almost 600,000 people live in poverty in Switzerland. Without social transfers this number would be more than twice as high.
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.