At 37% of the total, one-person households are now the most common way to live in Switzerland, according to recently published data by Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office (FSO).
The data from 2022, show that 37% of households contained one person, followed by the 32% that contained two, 13% that contained three, 12% with four and 5% with five or more.
This does of course not mean that 37% of the population lived alone. Households of five or more members might have make up a relatively small proportion of total households (5%), but they contain five or more individuals living with others (13%), whereas households of one individual only count once. When the proportions are presented based on this basis, the percentage of the population living alone drops to 17%.
At the same time the number of people living alone has increased significantly. Between 1970 and 2022, the number has risen 3.6 times. According to FSO the trend is likely to continue. And as the number of single-person households grows, the average floor area per person will rise, increasing the total demand for living space.
At the same time Switzerland’s tightening real estate market is tempering the trend. Robert Weinert, an expert in the field, says that limited housing is forcing people to live together again.
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