The authors of the reportExternal link published on Monday say the reasons for the decrease are very diverse and the figures cannot be used to make general statements about racial discrimination in the country.
As in previous years, many reported cases occurred at the workplace and in schools, childcare or further education, according to the Federal Commission against Racism and the group humanrights.ch.
Verbal abuse was the main form of racial discrimination while xenophobia was the most frequently reported motive, followed by hostility against coloured people, the authors of the annual report say.
They caution that the data, compiled by 24 counselling centres across Switzerland, is unlikely to show the full extent of discrimination in Switzerland.
But the report wants to highlight the range of counselling offered by the centres, according to a press release.
Besides the 278 investigated cases, the centres also registered 108 cases without sufficient evidence, 27 cases where no racial discrimination could be proven as well as 59 cases where the victims reported cases but without an entitlement to further investigation.
More
More
Majority of population see racism as key social problem
This content was published on
Almost 60% of the Swiss population consider racism an important social problem, a poll by the Federal Statistical Office has found.
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
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?
‘Pressure will increase on Switzerland to invest more in defence’
This content was published on
Markus Mäder, Switzerland's state secretary for security policy, believes that more cooperation is needed in order to strengthen defence in Europe.
Just one in five Swiss attend a religious service at Easter
This content was published on
Only one in five people in Switzerland attend a religious service during the Easter period or give up meat or alcohol for at least one day of fasting. Around 25% of those polled see Easter primarily as a family holiday, according to the survey.
Major road disruptions continue after heavy snowfall in parts of Switzerland
This content was published on
The snowfall has ended in the southern Swiss canton of Valais, the cantonal emergency services said on Friday. Several roads, however, remain closed.
Swiss businessman gets prison term for asbestos deaths
This content was published on
Stephan Schmidheiny has been sentenced to 9 years and 6 months in prison by the Turin Court of Appeal in a case against the former Eternit executive over deaths linked to asbestos exposure in Italy.
This content was published on
Swiss imports and exports reached new heights in the first quarter, driven by the chemicals and pharmaceuticals sectors. Shipments to the US rose sharply.
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.
Read more
More
Record number of reported discrimination incidents in Switzerland
This content was published on
The number of reported cases of discrimination based on ethnicity, colour and religion has increased by half in 2017 compared to the year before.
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.