Premiums, rents, electricity, transport, food: the cost of living is skyrocketing in Switzerland

Soaring electricity prices, soaring health premiums: September's announcements were particularly hard on Swiss households. This news comes against a backdrop of rising living costs. An overview.

The Federal Council announced at the end of September that health insurance premiums in Switzerland would rise by an average of 8.7% next year, or CHF 28.70 per month. This is the biggest increase in over a decade. But the situation varies from region to region, as our infographic below shows. Increases ranged from +6.5% in Basel-Stadt and Appenzell Innerrhoden to +10.5% in Ticino.

Premiums have risen steadily since the Federal Health Insurance Act (KVG/LAMal) came into force in 1996. In 1997, the average premium was 138 francs. Next year, it will rise to almost 360 francs, an increase of 150%.

Genevans pay the highest premiums in the country: 454 francs per month, all age categories combined. Geneva is now just a few francs ahead of Basel-Stadt. Appenzell Innerrhoden has the lowest average bill (246 francs). Most of the French-speaking cantons are at the top of the ranking. Only Fribourg and Valais remain below the Swiss average.

>> Rising premiums are particularly hard hit in French-speaking Switzerland. Reactions and testimonials:

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Renting an apartment in Switzerland is becoming increasingly expensive. This is shown by the rent index set up by the Homegate real estate advertising platform. Inflation, rising mortgage rates and the impact of the war in Ukraine on expenses are among the explanations. Demand often exceeds supply.

Rents - the biggest item on the Swiss household budget - hit historic highs in August, rising to levels not seen since the indicator began in 2009. Compared with the previous month, the index rose by 0.3 points to 122.7. Year-on-year, rents rose by an average of 3.9% in Switzerland.

The situation is critical in several cantons, including Zurich, Geneva and Vaud. With Switzerland's economic attractiveness, an aging population and an increasing number of single-person households, demand is growing all the time. And there's more to come: rents could still rise by more than 15% by 2026, warned Martin Tschirren, Director of the Federal Housing Office, recently.

>> The housing vacancy rate is falling in Switzerland:

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After the jump in 2023 (+27%), electricity bills will rise again in 2024. In early September, the Swiss Federal Electricity Commission (ElCom) announced an average tariff increase of 18% next year. For a household consuming 4,500 kWh, this represents 222 francs more than this year.

As with premiums and rents, electricity prices vary widely from region to region. At just 10 centimes per kWh, the Valais municipality of Zwischbergen still has the cheapest electricity in Switzerland. Its tariff is five times lower than in Braunau (TG), where a kWh costs just over 50 centimes.

>> Why are electricity prices continuing to rise?

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Premiums, rents and electricity are not the only items that are putting an ever-increasing strain on household budgets. The consumer price index, which measures the rise in prices of all consumer goods and services in Switzerland, reached a record high in August, before dipping slightly in September (-0.1%). In annual variation, however, inflation rose again last month (+1.7% vs. 1.6% in August).

Since December 2020, prices have jumped by more than 6% on average, according to the Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO). Transport costs have risen the most: +13%. With prices rising by 7.5%, Swiss people's food budgets have also soared. Household equipment (+8.6%), restaurants (+6.7%) and leisure (+6.1%) - such as streaming services - also soared.

Against this backdrop, it is estimated that one person in six in Switzerland could fall into precariousness. This phenomenon is already reflected in the Caritas solidarity grocery stores, which have seen their sales soar in every region of the country since the Covid-19 pandemic, and even more so since the spring of 2022. If nothing changes, the rising cost of living could well turn into a social crisis, many observers fear.

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Costs are skyrocketing

Bernese family: "We pay as much health insurance as rent"

Those who barely receive any reductions suffer particularly from the 2024 premiums. For example, the Nobs family from Bern.

Claire Micallef

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CHF 359 per person. This is the average health insurance premium in 2024. 8.6% more than last year. The President of the Swiss Confederation, Alain Berset, explains this considerable increase as follows: There are more elderly people, advances are being made in medicine, and more services and more and more expensive medicines are being purchased.

The increase in premiums varies from canton to canton. The burden, which mainly rests on the shoulders of those people who barely receive any premium reductions, is heavy everywhere. This is also the case for the Nobs family in Wengi in the canton of Bern.

There is insomnia and tension as a couple. You always have to talk about money.

For them in the canton of Bern, premiums will rise by 8.3% next year. Although this is slightly less than the average, at CHF 367 the premium is higher than the Swiss average. The burden is very heavy, says Mirjam Nobs. She's a stay-at-home mom with minor side jobs in health care: "There is insomnia and tension as a couple when you always have to talk about the money and the financial situation."

With all the child allowances, the Nobs have about CHF 9,000 a month at their disposal. Too much for premium reductions. In addition, the family was unable to pay a health insurance bill last year due to a financial shortfall and is therefore not allowed to change insurers in the coming year.

Other fixed costs also make the family's situation difficult, says Mirjam Nobs. "We would like to go on holiday once a year, but just can't afford it. For us, that's luxury." They have no choice but to save.

That's why the family moved to the countryside a few months ago to a less expensive apartment. They also try to supplement their income with small side jobs. For example, they have bought chickens and sell their eggs.

At a media conference, Interior Minister Alain Berset emphasised that the health care system in Switzerland is good and therefore it also has its price. However, he also admitted that the situation is difficult, especially for people from the lower middle class.

"The premium increase comes along with increases in rent or energy prices. This makes the situation very difficult", said Berset. "Now all stakeholders - including those at political level - have to take their responsibility, work together and look for solutions and reforms."

"We pay as much health insurance as rent"

We pay over a quarter of our household income for insurance. "Overinsured", says consumer protection - "a need of the customers", counters the CEO of Helvetia. One thing is clear: the federal government wants to act on life insurance.

On average, people in Switzerland spend over CHF1,000 on insurance every month. Only people in Hong Kong and the US invest more in protection against the unexpected. Of course, many insurances are mandatory: first and foremost health insurance premiums, social security contributions for OASI, IV or the income replacement regulation. These costs can nevertheless be somewhat optimised with insurance comparison and waiver. More freedom of choice is to be found when it comes to property insurance or life insurance.

An average household in Switzerland spends almost 25% on insurance. Too much, says Sara Stalder, managing director of the Foundation for Consumer Protection: "The Swiss population is certainly the best insured group of people in the world because they have a high need for security." But certain insurance companies take advantage of this, says the consumer advocate. "The insurance companies know that there is a great willingness to pay."

Stadler adds that, however, multiple insured risks, such as for travel or theft, are also an unnecessary cost factor. "We are not overinsured", counters the CEO of the Helvetia Insurance. His argument: "Our surveys show that customer satisfaction is very high", says Philipp Gmür and adds that the premiums are worth their price.

Federal government wants to act on life insurance

Life insurance policies are a particular thorn in Sara Stalder's side: "Insurance policies that have an insurance component and a savings component are expensive, and you can't cancel them without losing a lot of money." In addition, the promised returns are often unrealistic, she says. This is confirmed by an investigation by the financial watchdog FINMA.

On request, the federal authority writes: "Finma determined that in the 'unfavourable' scenario, the sample calculations for life insurance policies were too optimistic for more than 90% of the approximately 80,000 insurance contracts examined." It is now necessary to create a transparent basis for decision-making for customers, federal authority concludes. In August, Finma already announced to strengthen supervision in this area.

Helvetia CEO: "Cannot yet comprehend Finma criticism"

"We have taken note of the Finma criticism", says Philipp Gmür of the Helvetia Group. "We design our life insurance products based on the legal requirements and FINMA regulations. It supervises us in this business and receives all the necessary product documentation from us", says Philipp Gmür. He therefore cannot yet understand Finma's criticism. "But we are now evaluating the criticism", he says.

Are the Swiss overinsured?

Cost of living: Is a social crisis imminent?

Is there an answer to Switzerland’s spiralling healthcare cost misery?

People living in Switzerland must swallow a bitter pill next year: health insurance premiums will rise by an average 8.7%. For many years, basic healthcare costs have risen above inflation. Why is this? And is there a way out of this vicious circle?

Switzerland is not alone in suffering a health hangover from the Covid-19 pandemic whilst grappling with the cost impact of an ageing population.

But the Swiss healthcare system also has unique home-grown issues that have given successive health ministers headaches.

The 8.7% health insurance leap is particularly harsh even by recent standards. It is the highest annual jump since the 10.8% rise in 2010 - despite general inflation forecasts of just 2.2% this year and next.

Health insurance premiums will not cover the CHF35 billion ($38 billion) in healthcare costs this year, just as income fell short of expenses last year. In addition, badly performing financial markets have eaten a hole in the reserves of health insurance companies.

The cost of medicaments has risen 5.5% this year, the health ministry said. Bills from doctors and hospitals for treatment have also increased, thanks in part to a change to the tariff structure for hospital treatment in 2022 that caused in a delay in the issuance of many bills to this year.    

On top of this is an increase in outpatient treatments, such as physiotherapy and psychological support.

Can the health industry and government make savings?

The health ministry says it has “reduced drug prices by more than a billion [CHF] since 2012 and laboratory tariffs by 10%”, along with other savings.

Outgoing health Minister Alain Berset lamented parliament blocking or watering down some of his more ambitious savings proposals, such as referencing the price of drugs in Switzerland to other countries where they cost less. Powerful lobby groups, such as the pharmaceutical industry, are believed to have played a part in spiking health reforms.

He also aimed a parting shot at patients: “We must all consider whether a visit to the doctor is really necessary, and whether we can go to the family doctor first instead of immediately consulting an expensive specialist.”

There are a range of other cost saving suggestions from other sources than the health minister.

For example, the consumer price watchdog, Stefan Meierhans, believes Swiss health insurance should reimburse people who buy cheaper drugs abroad.

Martin Landolt, chair of the health insurance association SantéSuisse, told the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper that there are too many ineffective treatments being carried out in the health sector.

This has been a recurring theme in the Swiss media and parliament, along with complaints of some doctors being paid too much.  

Politicians, hospitals and insurers are voicing concerns about inefficiencies and wasted money – although they don’t all agree on how to fix these problems.

In the Blick newspaper, Anne-Geneviève Bütikor, Director of the hospital group H+, spoke of a handful of hospitals having to close down due to lack of funding. “If there are no overarching plans to adapt the system in the medium term, more will follow,” she warned.

Part of the problem is that cantons run and control state hospitals, according to Thomas Boyer, Director of health insurer Groupe Mutuel.

“They are in a position that smacks of a conflict of interest: they own hospitals, therefore they have a vested interest in ensuring their profitability. At the same time, they define the rate of reimbursement from bills issued to patients],” he told Swiss public television RTS earlier this year.

SantéSuisse chair Landolt suggests that the federal government should run the hospital system, rather than cantons.

The issue is a hot potato during general election year, with different parties presenting plans to reform the healthcare system and bring down insurance costs.

But health minister Berset is adamant that the “very good health system” does not need a radical overhaul. "With the exception of 1848 [a year of radical political reform in Switzerland], I have never been a supporter of revolutions," he said. "There is no need for one now.”

How does the Swiss health system compare internationally?

Switzerland has the most expensive healthcare of the 38 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member states, according to the latest comparative figures published in the “Health at a Glance 2021” comparative study.

“On average, the same basket of [healthcare] goods and services would cost 72% more than the OECD average in Switzerland,” the report states. Running a hospital in Switzerland is more than twice as expensive than the OECD average.

The report also notes that Switzerland spends the third largest share of GDP (11.3%) on health than any OECD country, behind the US and Germany (OECD average 8.8%).

The Swiss population is more than satisfied with the “availability of quality healthcare where they live” compared to the majority of OECD countries. Some 91% of Swiss respondents are satisfied compared to an OECD average of 71%.

However, the Swiss Moneyland.ch price comparison website offers a caveat to this satisfaction in its own survey published in July 2023. On a scale of one to ten, the 1,538 survey respondents gave health insurers a general mark of 7.9, which fell to 7.4 when assessing value for money.

Healthcare costs are often found among the top issues that Swiss people report to several media “Worry Barometers” surveys each year.

Will health premiums continue to outstrip inflation? 

That’s one of the hardest questions to answer with any degree of accuracy but given the wide array of problems reported by professionals within the healthcare system, it remains a possibility.

“We need to deal with the problems of rising healthcare costs. It's a real emergency,” Groupe Mutuel’s Thomas Boyer told RTS in the summer.

However, the FMH Association of Swiss Doctors insists that overall healthcare costs have only risen at a modest annual rate of 2.6% over the last 15 years. Health insurance premiums have risen at a far greater rate because the “antiquated” health insurance model is out of step with costs and the changing nature of treatments, which allow for more outpatient treatment, FMH says.

FMH has been holding talks with the health ministry and health insurers to thrash out a new model for funding healthcare costs and a new system to regulate billing by hospitals and doctors. FMH says this would better align healthcare costs with funding, taking some of the sting out of rising insurance premiums.

But the reform plans, which have been ongoing for some 14 years, have yet to bear fruit.    

Is there a way out of the cost spiral?

Between housing shortage and rising rents: students struggle to find a flat

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Students in French-speaking Switzerland return to university and higher education. But between housing shortage and rising rents, finding a place to live is a challenge for many of them.

Once again this year, finding a place to live is a major headache for those pursuing their education away from home.

"We always have students who come to us in panic mode, saying they don't have a place to live," says Cédric Rychen, director of the social affairs department at the University of Lausanne, in La Matinale of RTS. 

Available accommodation is scarce, and rents are often far too expensive for student budgets, which rarely exceed CHF 600 to CHF 800.

"It's true, having flats with increasingly high rents adds an extra difficulty", says Cédric Rychen.

Rising interest rates have indeed led to an increase in rents, and it is not uncommon "to see flats or even rooms in private homes at CHF 900", says Cédric Rychen. "Which didn't exist at all a few years ago", he adds.

>> Also watch the 19:30 report on students in precarious situations:

As finding a room, even in existing flats, proves too expensive for many students, many decide to commute.

Cédric Rychen observes this phenomenon year after year. Students at the University of Lausanne from neighbouring French-speaking cantons are increasingly choosing to commute. "Since they can't find accommodation in the region, they have to commute", he says.

In his opinion, however, this solution has other disadvantages. "If they commute from home, from their parents' home, they save on accommodation, but they have additional transport costs", explains Cédric Rychen.

"And it's a lot of extra effort for students whose curriculum is sometimes extremely busy", he continues.

Three years ago, the canton of Vaud built almost a thousand student flats, but there is still a shortage of between  300 to 400 for the start of the new school year. 

Fribourg and Neuchâtel fare somewhat better. Property is particularly scarce in Geneva and Lausanne, where rents are not affordable.

Students struggle to find accommodation

Cost-of-living squeeze puts Swiss households at poverty risk

Poverty is increasingly visible in wealthy Switzerland. Testimonies of families struggling to make ends meet are piling up at a time of widespread price hikes. Official figures, however, fail to capture the gravity of the situation, according to the directors of two different organisations monitoring the situation of families living in precarious conditions.

“There are significant gaps in the data needed to assess poverty and precariousness in Switzerland,” says Emilie Rosenstein, director of the Observatoire des précarités at the University of Applied Sciences in Social Work and Health (HETSL) in Lausanne, which focuses on people in financial difficulty. “Current statistics only give us snapshots of poverty. They don’t tell us which people are systematically in a precarious situation.

She welcomes the government’s establishment of national poverty monitoring system, noting that it could provide a more nuanced picture of poverty in Switzerland.

Official figures suggest 8.7% of the Swiss population – the equivalent of about 745,000 people – fall below the poverty line. The pandemic barely shifted the numbers, with a poverty share of 8.5% in 2020 and 8.7% in 2019. The Federal Statistic Office took pride to note in a press release that Switzerland "boasts a higher standard of living than the majority of European Union countries".

Rosenstein is less positive in her assessment. "We can be pleased that there has been no explosion in poverty figures since the pandemic. There is, however, a slow increase that is not yet reflected in the statistics,” she warns.  The data fails to capture the growing chasm between low and high-income households, a phenomenon she considers problematic in the long term.

The first Family Barometer published in April 2023 by the association Pro Familia Suisse and Pax, a pension insurance company targeting families, reveals a less glowing reality. It found that 41% of Swiss families have just enough to meet their needs, and 28% have nothing left to save at the end of the month. More than half of them also admitted that they have already foregone medical or therapeutic treatment on cost-related grounds. "Rising prices on basic necessities particularly affect families on low incomes, who are pushed into a precarious situation," says Pro Familia director Philippe Gnaegi.

This trend is also reflected in the evolution of Swiss real wages, which have fallen by almost 2% between 2021 and 2022, according to the Swiss Federal Statistical Office. Whilst nominal wages have risen slightly, inflation has eroded the purchasing power of salaried workers. Once again, these figures do not shed full light on the difficulties faced by households, according to Gnaegi, as they do not take into account the constantly rising costs of health insurance.

Inflation is certainly less significant in Switzerland, than in other European countries, such as Germany (7.9%) or the United Kingdom (over 10%). “We may be less pitied than others, but we must be careful when it comes down to comparisons”, says Rosenstein. She reminds us that when disposable incomes start to fall, it is primarily those on the lowest incomes who will suffer the consequences.

The director of the Observatory of Precarities believes that the State must not only help those who are most disadvantaged, but also take preventive action to help the lower middle classes who are struggling to make ends meet, before they slip into poverty.

"Family politics is the poor relative of our social system", explains Philippe Gnaegi. The director of Pro Familia recommends extending supplementary benefits for families, which are already in place in four cantons. This is a form of financial support for working families who are unable to cover the basic needs of their household, including sickness costs.

Measures must also be taken to make it easier to reconcile private and professional life, according to Philippe Gnaegi. He points out that six out of ten women in Switzerland work part-time, a rate that is almost unprecedented in Europe. "We need to create more childcare facilities, keep their costs down and guarantee the quality of care," says the director of Pro Familia. He therefore believes that the childcare bill approved by the National Council (lower house of parliament) in March 2023 is a step in the right direction. It provides for aid to be granted for each child looked after by a third party from birth to the end of primary school.

"There are two things that weigh heavily on household budgets: rent and health insurance. These are the main causes of debt," says Rosenstein, noting that almost a third of healthcare costs are now borne by individuals themselves. "This situation is problematic, because the rate is almost twice as high as the average for countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and it will continue to rise.”

Gnaegi advocates limiting health insurance premiums to 10% of household income. Such a system is already in place in the Canton of Vaud. The Socialist Party has tabled an initiative to extend this system. For the time being, however, neither the government nor parliament is convinced by the initiative and would like to put forward a counterproposal.

Stefan Meierhans, the country’s price watchdog known by many as “Mr. Price”, argues the Swiss could do more to harness the power of competition. “You have to put competition into play,” he says. “There is too little movement on the part of consumers.

Rosenstein disagrees: "Playing off competition may help some people, but it won't relieve those who are facing major difficulties. "

The answer in her view lies in addressing the issue of people failing to claim social benefits for which they qualify. Many people who would be entitled to supplementary benefits under the Old Age and Survivors' Insurance or Invalidity Insurance schemes do not claim them, usually because they are unfamiliar with the system. "We need to point these people in the direction of existing solutions," says Rosenstein.

When they reach retirement age, more and more Swiss people are choosing to move abroad. People over 65 account for around 10% of all emigrants. While their reasons for emigrating are not well known, many are doing so for financial reasons.

"With our pension system, which relies heavily on individual provision, some people find themselves in difficult situations even after having worked all their lives," she notes. For them, moving abroad can be a pathway to preserving their dignity and avoiding having to apply for assistance.

Swiss households at poverty risk

How much will electricity prices rise in your municipality in 2024?

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Electricity bills will rise by an average of 18% next year. These increases vary widely from region to region. Find out the rate in you municipality using our interactive maps.

After this year's jump (+27%), electricity bills will increase further in 2024. The Federal Electricity Commission (Elcom) has announced an average tariff increase of 18% next year. For a household consuming 4,500 kWh, that's CHF 222 more than this year.

These increases vary significantly from one distributor to another, as shown in our map below.

>> Click on the communes for more information:

In French-speaking Switzerland, the biggest rises will be in the canton of Fribourg. In many municipalities, Groupe E tariffs have risen by around 28%. In Estavayer-le-Lac, the bill will even rise by 33%, again for a household consuming 4,500 kWh.

A large part of the canton of Neuchâtel will also see its rates increase by more than 25%. Geneva, on the other hand, is within the Swiss average.

After experiencing the highest increases in 2023, the cantons of Valais and Vaud will remain relatively unaffected, with a few exceptions. The increase will generally be less than 15%, and sometimes even less than 5%.

At just CHF 0.10 per kWh, the municipality of Zwischbergen (VS) will still have the cheapest electricity in the country. It's price will be five times lower than in Braunau (TG), where a kWh will cost just over CHF 0.50.

Electricity price increase in 2024

Wages: 'increases of up to 4.5 % necessary'

This is the demand of Travail.Suisse to cope with steadily rising prices - The union is convinced: companies can afford it.

Generalised wage increases of up to 4.5%: this is the demand made by Travail.Suisse, which emphasises that "real wages of workers will fall this year for the third time in a row". This is "the first time this has happened in the post-war period", says the union in a statement issued in August 2023.

Due to continued cost increases in 2023, Travail.Suisse points out that real wages will be below the 2015 level. "Companies have leeway for wage increases, given the continued growth in productivity and profits, which have now surpassed the pre-Covid level."

The union organisation also puts emphasis on living costs that continue to rise due to "higher rents, rising health insurance premiums and increasingly expensive food". Together with energy costs, these factors "are eroding workers' purchasing power".

Inflation and rising costs, amidst debts and rising enforcement orders: what to do?

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SEIDISERA of 10.08.2023: Inflation in Italy slows down, but spending across the border is a little cheaper.

Demand that wages increase by up to 4.5%

Find out where you stand

Public transport users pay too much for their tickets, says price watchdog

Julien Furrer

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Users of public transport are paying too much for their tickets, as the price watchdog denounced in August. He referred in particular to regional transport.

Price watchdog Stefan Meierhans expressed his concern about the increase in public transport fares in Switzerland. This is despite the fact that their costs must remain reasonable for users, as has been written into the Federal Constitution since 2016.

But no one has really defined a red line that must not be crossed. The term "reasonable" therefore remains a rather vague notion. "Reasonable" tariffs would probably mean simplified tariffs. According to Meierhans, however, this is not the case. In his capacity as supervisor, it is therefore his task to judge what should be considered "reasonable".

For the price supervisor, it is mainly the users of regional transport lines who suffer. In a press release, he writes that travellers using these lines are "spending more and more money for the seats they occupy, but also for those left empty."

He advocates for an equal distribution of the burden between the public sector and public transport users.

"User participation must be appropriate. Based on this very principle, it must be concretised. For the time being, a fair share, that is 50% from the public and 50% from the users," he told La Matinale.

>> Listen to the interview with Stefan Meierhans in La Matinale.

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Since the pandemic, public transport has emptied, as have the coffers. Therefore, the fare increases, after they had already been announced in spring, were expected. The price supervisor therefore wants to avoid any excesses, announcing that ticket prices will not exceed 50% of total costs in the future.

It must also be said that while SBB continues to make money on the main lines, all regional transport remains in deficit. Bus tickets only cover 10-40% of the costs. For the rest, it's up to the public sector to pick up the tab.

Paying for public transport via taxes or paying for it every time you use it ultimately makes no difference. It is the citizen who is asked to pay each time. But it is the feeling that is different. When SBB raises its prices, it reinforces our perception that public transport is expensive.

In order to change the view and habits of users towards public transport, Germany, Spain and Austria, for example, have lowered their prices.

"Public transport is too expensive"

Social and material deprivation: a reality for 5% of the Swiss population

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Not eating out, not having your car repaired or not getting medical treatment because your budget won't allow it: we call this material and social deprivation. A phenomenon which affected more than 5% of the Swiss population in 2021, according to the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

According to this new indicator calculated by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), around one in twenty people is forced to give up goods, services or social activities due to lack of money. This rate, however, is still well below the European average of 11.9%. In addition, the general standard of living - estimated on the basis of median disposable income - remains higher than that of our neighbours.

This is a new indicator, because until now only the most widespread form of material deprivation has been taken into account, i.e. not being able to meet an unexpected expense of CHF 2,500 within a month. This affects almost 20% of the Swiss population.

The FSO report highlights a number of statistics concerning precariousness in Switzerland. In 2021, the poverty rate was 8.7% (+0.2% over one year). This represents 745,000 people living on an income below the poverty threshold*, mainly foreign nationals, single parents, people with no post-compulsory education or unemployed people.

Nevertheless, some 157,000 people were living below the poverty line even though they were working.

The report also shows that 8% of the population give up regular paid leisure activities, while a slightly larger proportion cannot afford a week's holiday a year. Finally, 3% of Swiss people cannot afford to eat or have a drink with family or friends at least once a month.

These figures are particularly worrying for Caritas, which is concerned that poverty in Switzerland has risen "significantly and continuously since 2014", the charity writes in a press release.

Radio report: Cléa Favre Web text: jop with ats

*According to the standards of the Swiss Conference of Welfare Organisations (SKOS), the poverty threshold is CHF 2,289 per month of disposable income for a single person and CHF 3,989 per month for two adults and two children.

Material deprivation is a reality

Electricity or health insurance: September brought some harsh news for Swiss households. This comes in a general context of rising costs of living.

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