Nearly 3% of Switzerland's population receives welfare support

In 2025, around 267,300 people received social assistance in Switzerland. That amounts to 2.9% of the total population, according to data published on Tuesday by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). The number of recipients is up 4.5% compared with the previous year, but the FSO urges caution: the increase is largely due to a new calculation method that makes comparisons with previous years difficult. The rate therefore remains comparable to that of 2024.

The data confirm which groups are most exposed. Children and adolescents show the highest rate, at 4.8%. Among foreign nationals the share rises to 5.4%, compared with 1.9% among Swiss citizens. Marital status also matters: divorced people receive social assistance in 4.2% of cases, compared with 1.4% for married people.

Reliance on social assistance varies significantly by region. Several cantons in French-speaking Switzerland, including Geneva, record above-average rates, as does Basel-Stadt. Rural regions of German-speaking Switzerland show lower rates. These differences point to varying economic and labour-market conditions across regions, as well as to uneven cantonal policies in supporting people in difficulty.

More single-parent families relying on welfare

A separate analysis published on Tuesday by the Cities Initiative for Social Policy, covering 20 municipalities, shows that reliance on welfare remains stable in Swiss cities, but that single-parent families drawing on it are becoming more numerous. In 2025, nearly six in ten minors receiving assistance live in a single-parent family, up from just over five in ten in 2010. The report notes that the poverty risk for this type of family is everywhere markedly higher than for other households: social assistance is often the only way to supplement an income that is not enough to cover children's needs.

Cities are therefore focusing on targeted measures for single parents: training, daytime childcare with flexible hours, and supplementary benefits for families. It remains to be seen how far these measures will actually reduce dependence on welfare, and how equal protections for children can be ensured regardless of the canton they live in or their family's composition.