Every eighth person lives in a household with payment arrears
Published: Tuesday, Oct 29th 2024, 10:50
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More than one in eight people, or 12.1% of the population, lived in a household with at least one payment arrears in Switzerland in 2022. Overall, 40.9% of the population had at least one form of debt in that year.
This is according to data published on Tuesday by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). The population was most frequently in arrears with tax bills and health insurance premiums.
The FSO also analyzed mortgages other than on the main residence, vehicle leases, small or consumer loans, instalment payments, maintenance payments, debts to family or friends as well as overdrafts or unpaid credit card bills. Overall, this resulted in a debtor rate of 40.9 percent.
According to the survey, 5.5 percent of the population lived in households with tax arrears. A further 4.4 percent were in arrears with health insurance companies. The number of people struggling with at least one type of arrears in the reporting year fell with increasing age, education level and income.
14.2 percent of people in households with children had arrears, compared to 7.7 percent without children. Almost a fifth of people in a single-parent household had at least one payment arrears in 2022.
The most common type of debt in 2022 was vehicle leasing: 14.5% of the population lived in a corresponding household. Mortgages not on the main residence accounted for 12.6 percent. 37.6 percent had at least one type of loan, an overdraft or unpaid credit card bills.
The reasons for taking out a loan differed depending on income. People in the top 20 percent were more likely to use a loan to finance a mortgage outside their main residence or furnishings (26.8 percent) than the lowest-income 20 percent (7.5 percent).
In the poorest fifth of the population, loans were more often used for everyday expenses, personal items or to pay off other debts.
©Keystone/SDA
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