2018 in figures – from Federer to a flaming snowman

The Great 1: Roger Federer Keystone

Almost every article published by swissinfo.ch contains a percentage, an age, an amount of money or some other figure. Here are 12 of the most interesting statistics to appear in 2018. 

January

20

What a score! Swiss tennis player Roger Federer won his 20^th grand slam titleExternal link, extending his record, when he lifted the Australian Open trophy for the sixth time. He returned to the top of the rankings in February, aged 36, and ended the year world No. 3.

February

80

It was exactly 80 – or otganta – years ago that Romansh became the fourth Swiss national language, after 92% of Swiss voters gave it the thumbs up. On the anniversary of that vote, Switzerland’s Romansh lobby called to broaden the official territory of the language. 2018 also saw the release of the world’s first professional feature film in Romansh. 

March

71.6

In a nationwide vote watched around the world, almost three-quarters of Swiss voters (71.6%) rejected a proposal to scrap the mandatory licence fee for Switzerland’s public broadcasters, including swissinfo.ch. 

April

1,231

The number of seconds it took for the head of the Böögg, a stuffed snowman, to explode in Zurich. Traditionally, a relatively long period like 20 minutes and 31 seconds foreshadows a poor summer. But as it turned out, the searing sun meant Swiss rivers hit record temperatures while the lack of rain caused all sorts of other problems. 

The psychic Böögg wasn’t on top form this year Keystone

May

25

Switzerland recycles about 25% of its plastic waste, lagging well behind many other European countries.

June

37,000

Pope Francis paid a rare visit to Geneva – a centre of Protestantism – on a whirlwind one-day tour to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the World Council of Churches (WCC). He celebrated Mass in a convention centre attended by around 37,000 people.

July

1

The number of passports Swiss footballers should have, according to the general secretary of the Swiss Football Association. This, he said, was to prevent promising young dual nationals benefiting from training schemes in Switzerland and then deciding to play for another country. After a general outcry, the general secretary resigned. The row over dual nationality broke out after three Swiss footballers were fined by FIFA for making hand gestures of an Albanian national symbol to celebrate goals against Serbia in a World Cup match. 

August

1,450

A famous restaurant perched under a cliff at 1,450 metres (4,800 feet) above sea level in the eastern Swiss Alps said it was looking for new managers. The couple running the Äscher-Wildkirchli guest house called it quits after 31 years, saying they couldn’t keep up with demand and restrictions on renovations. New tenants were announced in December.   

The Äscher-Wildkirchli guest house in Alpstein Keystone

September

17

The percentage of Swiss residents above the age of 15 that have dual nationality. The non-Swiss nationality most prevalent among dual nationals is Italian (24.7%), followed by French (11.2%) and German (7.8%).  

October

202,865

Expats in Switzerland remained the highest earners globally, bringing home an average annual pay packet of $202,865 (CHF205,000). A month earlier, Switzerland had been named one of the biggest losers in an expat survey, mainly for the difficulty in settling in and making friends. 

November

40,000

Don’t like carrots? Don’t go to Aarau in northern Switzerland on the first Wednesday of November. That’s when the colourful Rüeblimärt (carrot market), a rooted fixture since 1982, attracts up to 40,000 visitors who admire the 140 carefully arranged stands. 

December

995

The number of small local breweries recorded in Switzerland – one of the highest densities in the world. Cheers!