4,000 pages

The Figure

At federal and cantonal level, there are around 4,000 pages of laws, ordinances and guidelines relating to the agricultural sector. While today the agricultural sector rightly denounces the excessive bureaucracy, the high level of subsidies is worth mentioning in comparison. The allocation of subsidies and legal requirements often go hand in hand. A reduction in transfers to agriculture would also reduce bureaucracy.

05.03.2024, Patrick Dümmler

More numbers

The Figure The real wage growth achieved between 2010 and 2020 caused a real bracket creep of CHF 2.52 billion in Switzerland in 2020. Federal, cantonal and communal income taxes would have been reduced accordingly if they had "only" risen at the same rate as the average wage.

30.04.2024, Lukas Rühli

The Figure Industrial Policy is anything but a no-brainer. To this date China has invested around 70 billion dollars in the state-owned aircraft manufacturer Comac. Despite this investment, the launch of its C919 airliner has been delayed several times. Moreover, no major aviation authority outside of China has certified its C919 model due to safety concerns.

23.04.2024, Lukas Schmid

The Figure Industrial policy can give some companies enormous negotiating power. After the announcement of extensive US subsidy programs, the Canadian government multiplied its subsidies for Stellantis by a factor of 15, rising them from 1 to 15 billion dollars. Why? The car manufacturer had threatened to shift a scheduled battery plant from Canada to the USA.

16.04.2024, Lukas Schmid

The Figure More than half of physicians in private practice have a foreign degree. However, Switzerland is making efforts to train more doctors: in 2021, 12.5 diplomas were awarded per 100,000 inhabitants. This is slightly more than in Germany (12.4) or France (11.9), where most foreign doctors come from. Significantly more of them are graduating in Italy (18.2) or Ireland (26.0).

09.04.2024, Jérôme Cosandey, Diego Taboada

The Figure According to preliminary estimations, electricity consumption in Switzerland fell by 1.7% to 56 TWh in 2023 compared to 2022. Meanwhile, domestic electricity production increased significantly by 13.5% to 72.1 TWh. One reason for this is the substantially higher production of hydropower plants and the increasing contribution from new renewables. Last year, Switzerland achieved an export surplus for the first time since 2020.

04.04.2024, Patrick Dümmler

The Figure In 2022, hardworking hens in Switzerland laid 1.135 billion eggs. This means that 185.6 eggs were consumed per person, both as food ingredients and as breakfast eggs, with a peak during Easter.

26.03.2024, Jelena Apelt

The Figure In Switzerland, the number of banks continues to decrease. Banking statistics provided by the SNB span from 1987 to 2022. During this period, the number of Swiss banks has fallen by 177 from 326 to 149. A year ago, Switzerland didn’t juste loose another bank, but a major one. The collapse of Credit Suisse therefore highlights the ongoing consolidation process in Switzerland’s financial center.

19.03.2024, Laurenz Grabher

The Figure On January 1, 2024, Switzerland had 2131 political communes. This is five fewer communes than in 2023 and a third fewer than at the time of the founding of the federal state (January 1, 1850: 3193 municipalities). This is mainly due to a rising number of communes merging, a phenomenon that began in the 1990s.

12.03.2024, Patrick Leisibach

The Figure In Swiss universities, 87% of Bachelor graduates enroll in a master’s degree programme within two years of graduation. Compared to other countries, this rate is high. In universities of applied sciences, on the other hand, this proportion is only 22%.

27.02.2024, Florence Mauli

The Figure Less than 1% of insured persons in the occupational benefits provision depend on the suppletive institution, also known as the “pension fund of last resort”. The remaining 99% of insured persons are covered by private market. This proportion has remained stable for 15 years, which is a sign of stability for the 2nd pillar.

20.02.2024, Diego Taboada, Jérôme Cosandey

The Figure A first: In 2024, around 10% (6 TWh) of Switzerland’s total annual electricity consumption is expected to be produced by photovoltaic (PV) systems. For around two years, the rising price of electricity has been a major driver, hence improving the profitability of PV investments. According to Swissolar, the aimed annual expansion of over 2000 MW as of 2027 (around 1.5 TWh) should be reached.

13.02.2024, Patrick Dümmler