Six Swiss regions make the top ten most prosperous regions of Europe measured in terms of GDP per person, according to an analysis by the University of Lausanne.
The six Swiss regions are Zurich (3rd), Ticino (4th), Basel (5th), the region around Zug (6th), Bern-Solothurn (7th) and Suisse romande, Switzerland French-speaking region (8th). The only regions ranked higher were Luxembourg (2nd) and the City of London (1st). The ranking is based on 2015 data.
The City of London led with an average 212,800 euros, followed by Luxembourg (89 900), Zurich (89 571), Ticino (76,842), Basel (75,117), Greater Zug (70,876), Bern-Solothurn (69,438), Suisse romande (67,692), Stockholm (64,300), and Inner East London (64,300).
The report is focused on the Suisse romande. Between 2014 and 2105, it was one of the fastest rising regions rising from 12th to 8th in terms of GDP per person.
The ranking changes when the figures are adjusted for purchasing power, a measure which attempts to cancel out the effect of exchange rates. On this measure Suisse romande slips from 8th to 25th, a ranking that still places it in the top 10% most prosperous regions in Europe on a per capita basis.
Strong growth
GDP growth per capita in Switzerland has been solid over the 15 years from 2000. Central Switzerland (+36%) led the pack, followed by Ticino (+27%), North-west Switzerland (+26%), Bern-Solothurn (+26%), Eastern Switzerland (+23%), Suisse romande (+21%) and Central Zurich (+11%). The Swiss average was 22%.
Less is more
Regions with the fastest population growth since 2000 experienced the slowest per capita growth in GDP. Both Zurich and Suisse romande had high population growth rates (both around +21%) which ranked them 15th and 16th in Europe. At the same time these two regions had Switzerland’s lowest rates of per-person gains in GDP: Suisse romande +21%; Zurich +11%. No other parts of Switzerland made the european top 30 on population growth.
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University of Lausanne report (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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