Three metrics of inequality in Switzerland
Switzerland: Three metrics of inequality was 42.34 in 2022. ▼ Falling
Latest (2022)
42.34
Change on year
up 2.2%
World rank
106th
of 113 countries
All-time high
47.95
in 1939
All-time low
38.5
in 1979
Years of data
56
1933–2022
Three metrics of inequality in Switzerland, 1933–2022
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Switzerland recorded 42.34 for three metrics of inequality in 2022.
That represents a change of up 2.2% on the previous year and down 1.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, three metrics of inequality in Switzerland peaked at 47.95 in 1939 and was at its lowest, 38.5, in 1979.
That places Switzerland 106th out of 113 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 56 years of available data.
Three metrics of inequality in Switzerland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1933 | 47.18 | — |
| 1934 | 47.28 | +0.2% |
| 1936 | 47.38 | +0.2% |
| 1939 | 47.95 | +1.2% |
| 1941 | 47.22 | -1.5% |
| 1943 | 46.05 | -2.5% |
| 1945 | 44.98 | -2.3% |
| 1947 | 43.79 | -2.6% |
| 1949 | 42.69 | -2.5% |
| 1951 | 42.14 | -1.3% |
| 1953 | 42.12 | -0.0% |
| 1955 | 42.23 | +0.3% |
| 1957 | 42.28 | +0.1% |
| 1959 | 42.37 | +0.2% |
| 1961 | 42.19 | -0.4% |
| 1963 | 41.83 | -0.9% |
| 1965 | 41.38 | -1.1% |
| 1967 | 41.07 | -0.7% |
| 1969 | 40.75 | -0.8% |
| 1971 | 40.22 | -1.3% |
| 1973 | 39.64 | -1.4% |
| 1975 | 39.32 | -0.8% |
| 1977 | 38.86 | -1.2% |
| 1979 | 38.5 | -0.9% |
| 1982 | 40.74 | +5.8% |
| 1983 | 40.9 | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 41.39 | +1.2% |
| 1987 | 41.22 | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 40.49 | -1.8% |
| 1992 | 40.24 | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 40.28 | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 41.29 | +2.5% |
| 1997 | 41.82 | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 42.29 | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 41.75 | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 42.39 | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 41.85 | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 41.08 | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 42.81 | +4.2% |
| 2004 | 43.17 | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 44.35 | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 44.83 | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 43.64 | -2.7% |
| 2008 | 41.48 | -4.9% |
| 2009 | 42.08 | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 44.03 | +4.6% |
| 2011 | 43.89 | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 43.14 | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 43.01 | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 43.08 | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 42.66 | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 41.63 | -2.4% |
| 2019 | 41.27 | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 41.27 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 41.42 | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 42.34 | +2.2% |
Switzerland compared with similar countries
- Switzerland's 42.34 is below the median for high income countries, which is 47.06, 90% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Switzerland's 42.34 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 46.7, 91% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 47.45 | 47.18 | 47.95 | 4 |
| 1940s | 44.95 | 42.69 | 47.22 | 5 |
| 1950s | 42.23 | 42.12 | 42.37 | 5 |
| 1960s | 41.44 | 40.75 | 42.19 | 5 |
| 1970s | 39.31 | 38.5 | 40.22 | 5 |
| 1980s | 40.95 | 40.49 | 41.39 | 5 |
| 1990s | 41.28 | 40.24 | 42.29 | 6 |
| 2000s | 42.77 | 41.08 | 44.83 | 10 |
| 2010s | 42.84 | 41.27 | 44.03 | 8 |
| 2020s | 41.68 | 41.27 | 42.34 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Switzerland
More poverty & inequality data for Switzerland
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 7 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.43 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 5,706 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -6.17 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 26.79 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 26.8% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is three metrics of inequality in Switzerland?
- Three metrics of inequality in Switzerland was 42.34 in 2022, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest three metrics of inequality recorded in Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 47.95 in 1939.
- What is the lowest three metrics of inequality recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.5 in 1979.
- How does Switzerland rank for three metrics of inequality?
- Switzerland ranks 106th out of 113 countries with data for 2022.
- Is three metrics of inequality rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Switzerland data come from?
- The figures come from World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Three metrics of inequality. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The Gini coefficient measures inequality on a scale from 0 to 1. Higher values indicate higher inequality. Inequality is measured here in terms of income before taxes and benefits.