Average living surface per occupant

This indicator is an index of the quality of living conditions. The average living surface par occupant depends on the number of household members and the dwelling’s surface area. When interpreting the results, one should also bear in mind that people with a migration background are more likely to live in towns and cities, where dwellings are generally more expensive and smaller. All other things being equal, this has an impact on the living surface available for each occupant.

In single-person households, an average difference of 14m² can be observed between the population with a migration background and that without (70m² compared with 84m²). This means that single-person households with no migration background have almost 1.2 as many square metres as those with a migration background. In households with two or more occupants, although the average absolute difference is 13m² between persons with and without a migration background (32m² compared with 45m²), the relative difference is greater (1: 1.4). Mixed households have an average of 36m² per person.

Single-person households

Overall, single-person households with no migration background show little difference in terms of living surface from those with a migration background. However, a clearer difference can be observed in dwellings with six rooms or more, where households with a migration background have more living surface on average than those without a migration background (+15m²).

Households with two or more occupants

In dwellings with one to five rooms, households with two or more persons without a migration background always have more square metres per occupant than households with a migration background and mixed households. This difference reaches a maximum of 10m² in dwellings with four rooms. For dwellings with six rooms or more, however, the number of square metres is almost the same for households with and without a migration background (1m² difference).

In the cantons, the average relative differences varies little for single-person households between the population without and with a migration background. The lowest ratio is found in Geneva (73m² compared with 67m², i.e. 1.1:1). The largest is found in Appenzell Innerrhoden (94m² compared with 70m², i.e. 1.3:1).

In households comprising two or more persons, the largest relative differences between households with and without a migration background are seen in the cantons of Solothurn and Glarus (ratio of around 1.6 respectively 1.5 to 1). Conversely, they are particularly low in the cantons of Nidwalden and Ticino (ratio of around 1.2 to 1). Mixed households, on average, have more of living surface than households with a migration background in all cantons with the exception of Zug, Ticino and Geneva.