The only way is up – at least as far as Switzerland’s population is concerned. In 2022, the number of people living in the country increased by almost 74,000 to 8.8 million. The growth applies to all cantons led by Schaffhausen and Fribourg, with Jura having the fewest new arrivals.
However, only around 82,000 babys were born in Switzerland in 2022 – some 8.5 per cent fewer than in the previous year. This is a “historic low”, say statisticians, given that births in 2021 were already at a low level. The total fertility rate (the average number of children born to a female over their lifetime) has fallen to 1.38. Discounting immigration, a rate of 2.1 is needed for the population to remain stable.
(Source: Federal Statistical Office, FSO)
Even in a rich country like Switzerland, there are people who live below the poverty line. Surprisingly, many of them fail to collect their state benefits. These include 230,000 pensioners. According to a study by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, fear, shame, a lack of knowledge, and too much bureaucracy are some of the reasons why people forgo their benefits.
The driving factor behind poverty in Switzerland? High living costs. In cost-of-living terms, statisticians in the UK have calculated that £1,000 – or around 1,200 Swiss francs – will last one person only 27 days in Switzerland. The same amount will last you 33 days in Norway, 38 in Japan, 42 in Austria and 44 in France. However, you only need to work for five days in Switzerland to earn this amount.
(Source: money.co.uk)
Public transport is expensive in Switzerland, which makes it tempting to ride without a valid ticket. Because the phenomenon is so widespread, public transport operators set up a joint national register for fare dodgers in 2019, which shows that fare evasion is becoming more common. The public transport sector lost out on around 60 million francs in 2022 as a result. This is why repeat offenders will now have to pay a successively higher fine each time they are caught without a ticket.
(Source: Alliance Swiss Pass)
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