Poverty Children from poor families in Switzerland at a severe disadvantage
One in seven children from low-income households are disadvantaged in important areas of life. The children concerned had to miss out on vacations, a leisure activity or a birthday party, for example, as a recent federal survey shows.
16.02.2026, 12:10
SDA
Almost five percent of children under the age of 16 were financially disadvantaged in three or more important areas of life in 2024. These are the findings of the survey on income and living conditions published by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) on Monday.
In addition to vacations, leisure activities or celebrations for birthdays or name days, other areas that are important to children include having suitable clothes and shoes, owning age-appropriate books and school supplies, and being able to invite friends over.
Children from low-income households and single-parent households were particularly often affected by financial disadvantage. To put this into perspective: in 2024, around 743,000 people of all ages were affected by poverty in Switzerland.
No money in the household budget for birthdays
A fifth of these children were unable to go on vacation - six to eight percent had to miss out on celebrations and leisure activities. Around five percent of children did not own two pairs of suitable shoes in good condition, or a bicycle, scooter or other outdoor leisure equipment.
In a European comparison, the rate of child-specific disadvantage in Switzerland in 2024 was 4.9%. This means that children in neighboring countries Austria (9.0%), Germany (11.3%), Italy (11.7%) and France (13.5%) were far more likely to be affected by poverty.
Compared to the last survey in 2021, the figures for 2024 have not changed significantly, a FSO spokeswoman told the Keystone-SDA news agency on Monday. The next figures will be collected in 2027.
For Aline Masé, political director at Caritas Switzerland, there is no trend reversal in sight. "Current developments give no indication that the situation for poorer households is easing. On the contrary: the rising cost of living places a disproportionate burden on poorer households because they have to spend practically their entire gross income on fixed costs and basic necessities."
Masé is convinced that higher health insurance premiums, very high rents and the planned increase in value-added tax will hit households with low incomes particularly hard. In a press release on Monday, Caritas expressed its concern about the latest federal poverty figures.
