Social assistance

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At a glance

While the social assistance rate, i.e. the rate of economic social assistance in the narrow sense has hardly changed in recent years, the number of social assistance beneficiaries has risen. The reason for this apparently contradictory trend is that over the same period the resident population has also increased.

The main indicators of social assistance statistics

Indicator		Year
Social assistance rate (financial social assistance)	3.3%	2016
Share of short-term beneficiaries of financial social assistance (up to one year, closed case)	51.2%	2016
Average duration of social assistance benefits (median, current case)	23 months	2016
Net expenditure on social assistance in a broader sense	CHF 8 184m	2016
Net expenditure on financial social assistance	CHF 2 722m	2016
Annual net expenditure on financial social assistance per beneficiary	CHF 9 961	2016
Social assistance rate in a broader sense	9.6%	2016

Sources: Statistics on social assistance recipients, finance statistics of social assistance in a broader sense, inventory of social assistance in a broader sense

Scheme social assistance statistics

The statistical components of social assistance statistics

The Swiss social assistance statistics comprises three coordinated statistical components:

• The inventory of social assistance in a broader sense catalogues all social assistance benefits in a broader sense
• The financial statistics of social assistance in a broader sense records expenditure on these social benefits.
• The statistics on social assistance recipients records all beneficiaries.
   

Further information

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