Switzerland: Income share held by second 20%

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Switzerland's income share held by second 20% did not change 0 percentage points on 2022 (from 12.3% to 12.3%).

Across the 16 yearly changes before that (2007 to 2022), the average change was +0.02 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.15 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.3 percentage points in 2009 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.3 percentage points in 2013. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.03 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 59% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2023, Switzerland had the 23rd highest value of the 33 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Switzerland in the 2023 ranking

• Portugal — 21st of 33: 12.5%
• Latvia — 22nd of 33: 12.4%
• Italy — 23rd of 33: 12.3%
• Russian Federation — 25th of 33: 12.1%
• Luxembourg — 26th of 33: 12%
• Lithuania — 27th of 33: 11.9%

What this measures

Percentage share of income or consumption is the share that accrues to subgroups of population indicated by deciles or quintiles. Percentage shares by quintile may not sum to 100 because of rounding.

Limitations: Despite progress in the last decade, the challenges of measuring poverty remain. The timeliness, frequency, quality, and comparability of household surveys need to increase substantially, particularly in the poorest countries. The availability and quality of poverty monitoring data remains low in small states, countries with fragile situations, and low-income countries and even some middle-income countries. The low frequency and lack of comparability of the data available in some countries create uncertainty over the magnitude of poverty reduction. Besides the frequency and timeliness of survey data, other data quality issues arise in measuring household living standards.

All 23 values

Income share held by second 20% in nearby economies

• Albania — 13.2% (2020)
• Armenia — 13.9% (2024)
• Austria — 13.2% (2023)
• Belarus — 14.5% (2020)
• Belgium — 14.4% (2023)
• Bulgaria — 11.3% (2023)
• Croatia — 13.4% (2023)
• Cyprus — 12.7% (2023)
• Czechia — 14.7% (2023)
• Denmark — 13.5% (2023)
• Estonia — 13% (2023)

More poverty data for Switzerland

• Income share held by third 20% — 16.5% (2023)
• Income share held by fourth 20% — 22.3% (2023)
• Income share held by highest 20% — 41.2% (2023)
• Income share held by highest 10% — 26.3% (2023)
• Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%) — 11.6% (2023)
• Income share held by lowest 10% — 3% (2023)
• Income share held by lowest 20% — 7.6% (2023)
• Poverty headcount ratio at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) (% of population) — 0.1% (2023)
• Poverty gap at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) (%) — 0% (2023)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Switzerland's income share held by second 20%?

12.3% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1982?

It is up 0.7 percentage points from 11.6% in 1982. The highest value was 12.7% in 2012 and the lowest 11.6% in 1982.

How does Switzerland rank?

23rd highest of 33 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in income share held by second 20% unusual for Switzerland?

In 2023, Switzerland's income share held by second 20% did not change 0 percentage points on 2022 (from 12.3% to 12.3%). Across the 16 yearly changes before that (2007 to 2022), the average change was +0.02 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.15 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SI.DST.02ND.20, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are mostly from the Luxembourg Income Study database. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.