Expenditure on economic social assistance also decreased in 2021
Neuchâtel, 20.3.2023 - In 2021, CHF 8.8 billion was spent on means-tested social benefits for poverty reduction. 804 966 persons or 9.3% of Switzerland's permanent resident population received at least one such means-tested social benefit. Expenditure on these social assistance benefits increased less strongly in 2021 (+0.7%) than in the previous year (+1.8%). Expenditure on economic social assistance fell by CHF 34 million and has now been declining for three years. As in the previous year, the COVID-19 pandemic had no direct impact on the level of social assistance expenditure. These are some of the findings of the Swiss Social Assistance Statistics from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).