Switzerland’s public finances rose by 1.7% in 2018 to CHF232.6 billion ($238.8 billion) compared with 2017. As a percentage of the total, Switzerland spent more on education and less on defence than the European Union.
The largest budget item remained social protection, costing almost CHF92 billion or 39.4% of the total, the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) said on ThursdayExternal link. This is slightly less than in the EU, which, according to the statistical office Eurostat (quoted by the FSO), spends 41.1%.
Switzerland spends considerably more than the EU on education, the second-largest budget item: 16.5% of the total compared with 10.2% in the EU. Some 2.4% of total Swiss expenditure went on defence, compared with 2.9% in the EU.
The third-largest tranche of Swiss government expenditure was general public administration, which took up 13.7% of expenditure. The EU spends 12.7% on this.
Switzerland is also digging deeper into its pockets in “economic affairs”, the fourth-largest item: 11.7% of its budget is spent on this, compared with 8.9% in the EU.
The FSO uses the United Nations’ system COFOG (classification of the functions of government), which the FSO says allows an international comparison of the results.
More
More
PISA study finds Swiss students ‘still behind’ on reading
This content was published on
Swiss 15-year-olds are below average internationally when it comes to reading, the latest PISA education survey reveals.
University students in Switzerland join Gaza protest wave
This content was published on
Pro-Palestinian activists occupied university buildings in Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich on Tuesday, widening the protest movement in the Alpine nation.
TradeXBank to resume full operations after Sberbank Switzerland taken off sanctions list
This content was published on
TradeXBank, the former Swiss branch of Russia’s Sberbank, will be able to resume its dollar-denominated activities from the second half of this year.
Geneva decides not to remove controversial memorials
This content was published on
The city of Geneva has presented an action plan regarding a series of controversial local statues and monuments of historical figures linked to racism, colonialism or slavery.
University of Lausanne calls for end to pro-Palestine sit-in
This content was published on
The pro-Palestinian occupation continues at the University of Lausanne (UNIL). On Monday evening, a group of students refused to agree to the deadline set by the rectorate.
Ukraine peace conference should include Russia, says Chinese ambassador
This content was published on
China supports a peace conference on the Ukraine war that would see equal participation of all parties, says Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui.
This content was published on
A majority of Swiss citizens have open attitudes towards various infertility treatments, including even egg donation, which is currently prohibited.
Reports of Swiss cyber fraud almost doubled in six months
This content was published on
The head of the new Federal Office for Cybersecurity (FOC), Florian Schütz, has presented a new strategy after just over four months in office.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss teens have wider career aspirations than other Europeans
This content was published on
Young people in countries with strong apprenticeship systems aspire to a wider range of careers, an OECD study has found.
Financial literacy expert warns of ‘knowledge gaps’ in Switzerland
This content was published on
Financially illiteracy takes a serious toll on the lives of people across the globe. There is cause for concern even in wealthy Switzerland.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.