Evolution of households in Switzerland

The federal statistical office (FSO) published last week an interesting study about the evolution of households in Switzerland. In 1850 there were less than 500’00 households in Switzerland. This figure increased to 1.3 million in 1950 and has after that more than doubled, as in 2000 there were 3.2 million and 3.7 million in 2017. During the same period the population has more than tripled, to increase from 2.4 million in 1850 to 8.3 million in 2015.

These figures are the reflections of a fundamental structural change, with the number of small households increasing while larger have become fewer. In 1920 households with 6 people or more where the most numerous, while there were only few households with one person. Growth of this category accelerated strongly in the 1960s, in order to become the largest category around 1990.

Today the households with 1 or 2 people are the most numerous and the FSO projects in the years to come a strong increase in households of 2 people, which should increase by 36%, followed by one person households, increasing by 31%. In total the projections show an increase of households until 2047 by 23%, to increase from 3.7 million in 2017 to 4.6 million.