The indicator shows a breakdown of the population with a migration background by different household type, with and without child(ren). It highlights differences in ways of living together in relation to the host society.
Relevance/Result
Children by household migration status
Children by household type
Number of children by household migration status
In the cumulative data from 2017 to 2019, Switzerland had more than 3.7 million households, 30% of which had a migration background (more than 1 million) and 12% of which were of mixed migration/no migration background.
Regardless of migration status, the permanent resident population aged 15 and over mostly live in a household comprising a “couple with child(ren)”. 37% of the population without a migration background live in this type of household, the population with a migration background from the first, second or subsequent generations have higher rates (44% and 57% respectively).
One third of the population without a migration background lives in a “couple without children” household. The population with a migration background from the second or subsequent generations is twice as unlikely to live in this type of household.
10% of the population with a migration background from the second or subsequent generations live in a “father or mother alone with child(ren)” household. 6% of the first generation and 7% of the population without a migration background live in this type of household. The share of persons belonging to a “non-family household with several people” varies little between households of different migration statuses.
Only 4% of the total population lives in an “other type of household”. The first generation is the most likely to live in this type of household.
Regarding single-person households, the rates are relatively similar between the different migration statuses, ranging from 13% (second or subsequent generations) to 20% (population without a migration background).
Almost half of children aged 0 to 24 were living in a household with no migration background. Just under a third of children lived in a household with a migration background and the remaining 17% lived in a mixed household - with and without migration background.
The share of children living in a household with a migration background or in a mixed household decreases with age. Between the ages of 0 to 6, most children live in such households (58%).
The proportion of children living in a married couple household is similar for both the population with and without a migration background (around 80%); the rate is almost 85% for families living in a mixed household.
Among children living in a household with an unmarried couple, those in a household with no migration background show a slightly higher rate (8%) than those in a household with a migration background (6%). In mixed households, there are significantly more children living in a cohabiting couple household (11%).
Children living in a household with a mixed or a migration background are more likely to live in a multi-family household than children living in a household with no migration background. However, the rates are lower than 5% for all population groups.
16% and 15% of children without and with a migration background live in a household with father or mother alone.
Households with child(ren) are most likely to have two children, irrespective of the household’s migration status. Households with no migration background are the least likely to have one child (21%, whereas this is the case for 24% of mixed households (with and without a migration background) and 25% in households with a migration background). 31% of households with children with a migration background have three or more children. In households with no migration background, this figure is 30% (the difference is not significant) and in mixed households it is 27%.
Definitions
Household:
Group of people that generally live together, i.e. sharing the same dwelling. A distinction is made between private households (which may also comprise only one person) and collective households.
Private household:
Person living alone or several persons living in the same dwelling. A distinction is made between single-person households and households with several persons. Among the latter, a distinction is made between family households that are divided into single or multiple family households or non-family households.
Family household:
Private household that is a nuclear family comprised of at least a couple (married or not) with or without child(ren), or of a single parent with at least one child. A family household can also include people other than those who belong to the nuclear family/families.
Child:
Permanent resident population aged under 25 in private households, whose position in the household is that of a child.
The calculation method is based on two different approaches:
a) the household approach: household type(s) / Total number of households
b) the individual approach: Number of people living in type X households / Total number of persons.
A household’s migration status is established as follows:
The household has no migration background if neither the father nor mother alone, nor both members of a couple (with or without child(ren)) nor any person in a non-family household or other type of household is not born abroad or does not have a foreign nationality. The household has a migration background if the father or mother, or both members of a couple (with or without child(ren)) or all people in a non-family household or other type of household are born abroad or have a foreign nationality. The household has a mixed migration background if one of the two members of a couple (with or without child(ren)) or at least one of the persons in a non-family household or other type of household is born abroad or has a foreign nationality and the other(s) does/do not.
A household’s nationality is established as follows:
The household has Swiss nationality if the father or mother or both members of a couple (with or without child(ren)) or all people in a non-family household or other type of household are Swiss nationals. The household has foreign nationality if the father or mother or both members of a couple (with or without child(ren)) or all people in a non-family household or other type of household are foreign nationals. The household is of Swiss-foreign nationality if one of the two members of a couple (with or without child(ren)) or at least one of the people in a non-family household or other type of household is a foreign national and the other(s) Swiss.
Contact
Federal Statistical Office Section Demography and MigrationEspace de l'Europe 10
CH-2010 Neuchâtel
Switzerland