Some 57% of Swiss are middle-class
Around 57% of the Swiss population are middle-class, according to the Federal Statistical Office. This figure has remained relatively stable since 2000.
“Having briefly increased in 2009 [to 61.3%], the percentage of the middle-class dropped in 2013 [to 56.8%],” the office said on Thursday. “After a slight increase in 2015, the percentage stabilised at 57.5% in 2016, the same level as 2014.”
Wages are the main factor when deciding whether someone middle-class. People living in a household with a gross income of 70%-150% of the median income are classified as middle-class. Median income is the amount that divides income distribution into two equal groups, half having income above that amount and half below.
In Switzerland, this equates for a single person to CHF3,930-CHF8,427 ($3,960-$8,500) a month. For a couple with two children under the age of 14, it means CHF8,253-CHF17,685.
More
Six things to know about Switzerland’s middle class
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
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.