Many foreign nationals in Switzerland – either by birth or descent – don’t have the same standard of living as their Swiss-citizen counterparts, but their situation is changing for the better, a new study has revealed.
This is what emerges from a new study carried out by Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office (FSO).
In particular, residents with a foreign background have lower incomes and are more likely to live in cramped and noisy housing than Swiss people, the study reveals.
They are also more affected by poverty, even when employed – the so-called ‘working poor.’
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“In their daily lives, they also face greater difficulties making ends meet.” the FSO reported.
They also forgo certain medical treatments that are not covered by health insurance – such as dental care, for example – for financial reasons.
At the same time, however, the situation of this group has improved in recent years.
“The difficulties in making ends meet and the poverty rate have tended to decrease, while the median disposable income has increased,” the FSO pointed out, adding that “these trends reflect a gradual improvement in their economic situation, as well as a reduction in the gaps between them and the population without a migration background.”
More than 40 percent of the population
As of 2024 – the last year for which these figures are available – 41 percent of Switzerland’s permanent population aged 15 and over had a migration background – that is, people born abroad or whose parents and/or grandparents have immigrated from another country.
READ MORE: How many in Switzerland have a migration background?
Now, that obviously doesn’t mean that FSO’s statistics apply to all these people across the board.
In fact, many of those who fall under the statistical category of the ‘migration background’ have done very well from a wage perspective – in many cases earning even more than Swiss citizens.
They include foreign nationals recruited to work in high-income jobs in banking, pharmaceutical, IT, and financial sectors.
