Share of population living below national poverty lines in Switzerland
Switzerland: Share of population living below national poverty lines was 15.8% in 2021. ▬ Flat
Share of population living below national poverty lines in Switzerland, 2006–2021
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population living below national poverty lines in Switzerland is 15.8%, measured in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.5% on the previous year and down 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living below national poverty lines in Switzerland peaked at 16.0% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 13.8%, in 2013.
That places Switzerland 44th out of 70 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
Share of population living below national poverty lines in Switzerland, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 15.0% | — |
| 2007 | 15.7% | +4.7% |
| 2008 | 15.6% | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 15.0% | -3.8% |
| 2010 | 15.0% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 15.9% | +6.0% |
| 2012 | 14.5% | -8.8% |
| 2013 | 13.8% | -4.8% |
| 2014 | 15.6% | +13.0% |
| 2015 | 14.7% | -5.8% |
| 2016 | 15.5% | +5.4% |
| 2017 | 14.6% | -5.8% |
| 2018 | 16.0% | +9.6% |
| 2019 | 15.5% | -3.1% |
| 2020 | 14.7% | -5.2% |
| 2021 | 15.8% | +7.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 15.3% | 15.0% | 15.7% | 4 |
| 2010s | 15.1% | 13.8% | 16.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.2% | 14.7% | 15.8% | 2 |
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 share of population living below national poverty lines in Switzerland?
- Share of population living below national poverty lines in Switzerland was 15.8% in 2021, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living below national poverty lines recorded in Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 16.0% in 2018.
- What is the lowest share of population living below national poverty lines recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.8% in 2013.
- How does Switzerland rank for share of population living below national poverty lines?
- Switzerland ranks 44th out of 70 countries with data for 2021.
- Is share of population living below national poverty lines rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Switzerland data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living below national poverty lines. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
National poverty headcount ratio is the percentage of the population living below the national poverty lines. National estimates are based on population-weighted subgroup estimates from household surveys.