Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Switzerland
Switzerland: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income was 11.9% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Switzerland, 1982–2022
Source: World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Switzerland stood at 11.9%. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.
The figure is up 6.2% on the previous year and up 25.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Switzerland peaked at 11.9% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 8.7%, in 2004.
That places Switzerland 58th out of 123 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Switzerland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 9.1% | — |
| 1992 | 10.0% | +9.9% |
| 2000 | 9.1% | -9.0% |
| 2002 | 9.4% | +3.3% |
| 2004 | 8.7% | -7.4% |
| 2006 | 11.2% | +28.7% |
| 2007 | 11.3% | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 11.3% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 10.0% | -11.5% |
| 2010 | 11.0% | +10.0% |
| 2011 | 10.4% | -5.5% |
| 2012 | 9.5% | -8.7% |
| 2013 | 10.0% | +5.3% |
| 2014 | 10.4% | +4.0% |
| 2015 | 10.9% | +4.8% |
| 2016 | 11.1% | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 10.9% | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 11.2% | +2.8% |
| 2019 | 11.1% | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 10.4% | -6.3% |
| 2021 | 11.2% | +7.7% |
| 2022 | 11.9% | +6.3% |
Switzerland compared with similar countries
- Switzerland's 11.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 11.6%, 1.0× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Switzerland's 11.9% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 11.0%, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 9.1% | 9.1% | 9.1% | 1 |
| 1990s | 10.0% | 10.0% | 10.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 10.1% | 8.7% | 11.3% | 7 |
| 2010s | 10.7% | 9.5% | 11.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.2% | 10.4% | 11.9% | 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 proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Switzerland?
- Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Switzerland was 11.9% in 2022, according to World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ.
- What is the highest proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income recorded in Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 11.9% in 2022.
- What is the lowest proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.7% in 2004.
- How does Switzerland rank for proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income?
- Switzerland ranks 58th out of 123 countries with data for 2022.
- Is proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Switzerland data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ, published as part of Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The percentage of people in the population who live in households whose per capita income or consumption is below half of the median income or consumption per capita. The median is measured at 2021 Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) using the Poverty and Inequality Platform (http://www.pip.worldbank.org). For some countries, medians are not reported due to grouped and/or confidential data. The reference year is the year in which the underlying household survey data was collected. In cases for which the data collection period bridged two calendar years, the first year in which data were collected is reported.