Swiss healthcare costs of 12.2% of GDP are the world’s second highest after the United States where healthcare consumes 17.1% of GDP, according to 2016 figures presented by the Federal Statistical Office on 18 October 2018. Switzerland spent CHF 80.5 billion on healthcare in 2016, the latest figures reveal. This comes out at around CHF […]
Nearly half of Swiss residents in Geneva have more than one nationality
Across all of Switzerland, 17.3% of Swiss over 15 have more than one nationality. However in Geneva, the figure (45.0%) is close to half. No other Swiss canton comes close. The next highest are Ticino (29.2%), Vaud (27.6%) and Neuchâtel (26.7%). The German-speaking cantons of Basel-City (23.8%), Zurich (20.5%) and Zug (15.3%) are next. Of […]
Governments meet in Geneva to get tough on the tobacco industry
On 11 October 2018, Governments of 181 countries and the European Union met in Geneva for the 8th conference of the parties to the global tobacco treaty, formally called the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The tobacco industry has a history of using legal threats to intimidate governments into abandoning the […]
Swiss children reach only 77% of their potential, according to World Bank
Yesterday, the World Bank released its Human Capital Index (HCI), a measure of how much human potential nations realise. Singapore takes the top spot. A child born there can expect to realize 88% of their potential. Switzerland comes 20th with 77%, just ahead of New Zealand. Among european nations, Switzerland is 14th, behind Italy (13th), […]
Family planning and climate change – the arithmetic causing a stir
Following the recent release of a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on its dramatic climate change predictions, the news agency APF published a chart from 2017 showing the effects of various actions to reduce human emissions. Quelques moyens pour réduire son empreinte carbone #AFP pic.twitter.com/QcFw0waCUG — Agence France-Presse (@afpfr) October 8, […]
Blood donation – Swiss politician calls for donors to be remunerated
National councillor Pierre-André Page (UDC/SVP) would like to see some form of remuneration offered to blood donors to address the shortage of blood, according to RTS. “A glass of red and a sandwich is fine but we could do better” Page told the newspaper 20 Minutes, suggesting donors be remunerated from the social tax pot […]
Geneva border crossing offers fast lane to those sharing a ride
Cars with more than one person in them crossing into Geneva via the customs post at Thônex-Vallard now have a lane reserved for them, according to the newspaper Tribune de Genève. A special lane, reserved for cars carrying multiple passengers, is in place from 6:00 to 9:00am and 3:30 to 6:30pm. In the morning the […]
Begging ban upheld by Switzerland’s highest court
In September 2016, the government of the Swiss canton of Vaud introduced a law banning begging across the canton. Unhappy with the ban a group made up of religious groups and political parties on the left have been challenging the law ever since. In 2017, they approached Vaud’s constitutional court where 4 out of 5 […]
Swiss divorce rates continue to climb
In 2017, 15,906 couples in Switzerland got divorced after an average of 15.1 years together. The majority (56%) split before their 15th anniversary. In 2017, 40.5% of those married for more than 30 years were divorced, compared to 40.3% in 2016. Breaking up after 30 years of marriage has been rising since records began in […]
Swiss driving licences might soon store driver data
Discussions around high tech driving licences containing chips have started in Bern, according to the newspaper Tribune de Genève. Recently, national councillor Franz Grüter (UDC/SVP) put forward a motion to have current Swiss driving licences replaced by high tech ones, a motion supported by around 40 other councillors, mainly from his own party. The new […]
