Paternity acknowledgements

Mothers do not need to recognize their children, because the bond of filiation results from the birth itself. Acknowledgements of paternity takes place when fathers are not married to the child's mother and the parent-child relationship must be officially established. This record is registered by declaration to the civil status office, before the court or by a last will and testament (posthumously). Acknowledgement of paternity may occur before or after the birth.

Paternity acknowledgement
  2020 2021 2022
Total 22 364 24 660 23 948
Before birth
14 699 15 385 14 842
After birth 7 665 9 275 9 106
Paternity acknowledgement1 by child age
0 months 1 857 1 958 2 007
1-11 months 4 811 6 156 5 853
12-23 months 521 587
599
24 months or older 476 574
647
1) After birth

Source : FSO – Vital Statistics

From 1980 to 2005, most children were recognized after birth. Since then, the trend has been reversed. Today, the number of child acknowledgements by fathers is seven times higher than in 1980. This increase is parallel to the rise in the number of births outside marriage.

Further information

Data

Contact

Federal Statistical Office Section Demography and Migration
Espace de l'Europe 10
CH-2010 Neuchâtel
Switzerland

Contact

Remark

Our English pages offer only a limited range of information on our statistical production. For our full range please consult our pages in French and German (top right hand screen).

https://www.bfs.admin.ch/content/bfs/en/home/statistics/population/births-deaths/paternity-acknowledgements.html