Payments Swiss companies among the most punctual payers

Swiss companies have a high level of payment discipline. According to an analysis by management consultants Dun & Bradstreet, Swiss companies occupy a leading position in Northern Europe.

Specifically, 68.8 percent of Swiss companies make their payments on time, according to the Payment Study 2024 published by D&B on Thursday. The analysis examined the payment behavior of companies in over 30 countries.

In a European comparison, only companies in Denmark (94.2%), Poland (82.7%) and the Netherlands (76.1%) pay more punctually than in Switzerland. However, companies in southern European countries such as Spain (46.7%), Italy (41.1%) and Portugal (19.2%) ranked lower in terms of payment practices.

However, a comparison of sectors in Switzerland reveals a differentiated picture: companies in the construction (75.2%) and finance (73.5%) sectors are very reliable, followed by wholesale (63.3%) and retail (62.9%). Meanwhile, the significant decline in punctual payments in the freight forwarding and logistics, communication services and local and long-distance transport sectors is particularly striking.

At the same time, a global trend is continuing: Smaller companies often pay more punctually than large corporations.