SDG 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere
«[…] Poverty is more than the lack of income and resources to ensure a sustainable livelihood. Its manifestations include hunger and malnutrition, limited access to education and other basic services, social discrimination and exclusion as well as the lack of participation in decision-making. Economic growth must be inclusive to provide sustainable jobs and promote equality. »
Swiss target 1.2: The segment of the population in Switzerland living below the national poverty line is reduced.
Significance of the indicator
The indicator shows the percentage of people living below the poverty threshold. The threshold is defined on the basis of a social existence minimum that should enable individuals to acquire the goods and services necessary to an integrated social life. A reduction in the poverty rate is a major concern in sustainable development.
Help for interpretation
It is an income-based poverty indicator. The measure of poverty can be biased, in particular amongst older people, as wealth is not taken into account.
International comparability
The indicators of income poverty published by Eurostat and the OECD are based on the concept of relative poverty and cannot be compared with this indicator (based on the absolute concept).
Comments: Due to a break in the time series, the calculations are based on data from 2014 onwards.
According to the social justice and equality of opportunity principles, gender equality is a key component of sustainable development. For this reason this indicator is also presented with a distinction made between men and women.
Tables
Methodology
This indicator shows the percentage of poor people in the total population living in private households (poverty rate). A person is considered poor if they live in a household whose disposable income (excl. imputed rent) is below the poverty threshold (absolute concept). In 2020, the poverty threshold was on average CHF 2279 per month for a single person household and CHF 3963 per month for a household with two adults and two children under the age of 14. The income data in the SILC 2020 survey relates to the year 2019, i.e. before the Covid-19 pandemic. As the poverty rate is calculated by means of a population sample, it is subject to a certain margin of error. A confidence interval of 95% is calculated for these data.
Links
Targets
Swiss target 1.2: The segment of the population in Switzerland living below the national poverty line is reduced.
International target 1.2: By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions.
Contact
Federal Statistical Office Section Environment, Sustainable Development, TerritoryEspace de l'Europe 10
CH-2010 Neuchâtel
Switzerland
- Tel.
- +41 58 480 58 46
Monday - Friday:
09.00 - 12.00 / 14.00 - 16.00