Average Swiss monthly household income in 2023 was CHF7,186

The average income of Swiss households was CHF7,186 in 2023. Keystone-SDA

The average disposable income of Swiss households was CHF7,186 ($9,040) per month in 2023. It therefore remained stable compared to previous years, the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) said on Monday.

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But the FSO stressed that not all Swiss households will have this amount of money at their disposal. In 2023, around 61% of them had a disposable income below the Swiss average.

The same year, households spent an average of CHF5,049 per month, or 48.8% of their gross income, on consumer items. The biggest items were housing and energy (14% of gross income), the FSO said in a statement.

This item of expenditure has increased significantly since 2022, rising from an average of CHF1,374 to CHF1,449 per month. In the end, households had an average of CHF1,736 per month left over for savings, or 16.8% of gross income.

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However, not all households managed to save. Households in the lowest income bracket, with gross incomes of less than CHF4,839, often spent more money than they earned. This is mainly due to the relatively high proportion of retired households (60%) in this category, who finance part of their spending from their assets.

Compulsory expenditure

Compulsory expenditure amounted to CHF3,154 in 2023, or 30.5% of gross income. The largest item is tax, which represents an average of 12% of gross income. Other compulsory expenditure includes social insurance contributions (10.3% of gross income), compulsory health insurance premiums (6.7%) and cash transfers to other households (1.5%), such as alimony payments.

On average, earned income accounted for 73.6% of household income. This was followed by pensions and social benefits, which accounted for 20.8% of gross income in 2023. For many households, income from assets played only a minor role (4.5% of gross income). Finally, cash transfers amounted to 1.1%.

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The FSO explains that a household’s disposable income is its gross income after deduction of compulsory expenditure. It is made up of the income of each member of the household (2.07 people on average in Switzerland), which includes salaries and allowances, but also social benefits, transfers from other households and income from assets.

Translated from French by DeepL/sb

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