Percentage of one-person households in Switzerland

Switzerland: Percentage of one-person households was 38.1% in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
38.1%
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
8th
of 67 countries
All-time high
38.1%
in 2018
All-time low
31.1%
in 2008
Years of data
12
2007–2018

Percentage of one-person households in Switzerland, 2007–2018

0102030402007201220182007: 31.2 %2008: 31.1 %2009: 31.9 %2010: 31.3 %2011: 32.3 %2012: 31.9 %2013: 31.7 %2014: 36.5 %2015: 37.5 %2016: 37.8 %2017: 37.9 %2018: 38.1 %

Source: UN, national statistical agencies, OECD, and Deutschland in Daten (2021) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Switzerland recorded 38.1% for percentage of one-person households in 2018. That is the highest value across all 12 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 22.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, percentage of one-person households in Switzerland peaked at 38.1% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 31.1%, in 2008.

Switzerland ranks 8th of 67 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.

Percentage of one-person households in Switzerland, year by year

Annual values for Percentage of one-person households in Switzerland, 2007 to 2018.
Year % Change
2007 31.2% —
2008 31.1% -0.3%
2009 31.9% +2.6%
2010 31.3% -1.9%
2011 32.3% +3.2%
2012 31.9% -1.2%
2013 31.7% -0.6%
2014 36.5% +15.1%
2015 37.5% +2.7%
2016 37.8% +0.8%
2017 37.9% +0.3%
2018 38.1% +0.5%

Switzerland compared with similar countries

  • Switzerland's 38.1% is above the median for high income countries, which is 30.4%, 1.3× the median. (38 countries reporting)
  • Switzerland's 38.1% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 32.6%, 1.2× the median. (33 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 31.4% 31.1% 31.9% 3
2010s 35.0% 31.3% 38.1% 9

Countries ranked near Switzerland

  1. 5 Germany 41.7% compare
  2. 6 Estonia 40.3% compare
  3. 7 Netherlands 38.3% compare
  4. 9 Lithuania 37.7% compare
  5. 10 Austria 37.2% compare
  6. 11 France 36.2% compare

See the full ranking of 67 places →

More reference data data for Switzerland

All data for Switzerland →

Frequently asked questions

What is percentage of one-person households in Switzerland?
Percentage of one-person households in Switzerland was 38.1% in 2018, according to UN, national statistical agencies, OECD, and Deutschland in Daten (2021) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest percentage of one-person households recorded in Switzerland?
The highest recorded value was 38.1% in 2018.
What is the lowest percentage of one-person households recorded in Switzerland?
The lowest recorded value was 31.1% in 2008.
How does Switzerland rank for percentage of one-person households?
Switzerland ranks 8th out of 67 countries with data for 2018.
Is percentage of one-person households rising or falling in Switzerland?
Over the last ten years it is up 22.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Switzerland data come from?
The figures come from UN, national statistical agencies, OECD, and Deutschland in Daten (2021) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Percentage of one-person households. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Percentage of one-person households in Switzerland. Statizoid, drawing on UN, national statistical agencies, OECD, and Deutschland in Daten (2021) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 25 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/one-person-households/switzerland/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/one-person-households/switzerland/">Percentage of one-person households in Switzerland</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Percentage of one-person households
Unit
%
Source
UN, national statistical agencies, OECD, and Deutschland in Daten (2021) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
67 places, 726 data points, 1960–2018
Last refreshed

Number of one-person households as a share of the total number of households. Estimates combine multiple sources, including cross-country surveys and census data.