Over-qualification rates by citizenship in Switzerland

Switzerland: Over-qualification rates by citizenship was 17.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
17.2%
Change on year
down 3.9%
World rank
26th
of 36 countries
All-time high
23.3%
in 1996
All-time low
17.2%
in 2025
Years of data
30
1996–2025

Over-qualification rates by citizenship in Switzerland, 1996–2025

05101520251996201020251996: 23.3 Percentage1997: 23.1 Percentage1998: 21.3 Percentage1999: 21.1 Percentage2000: 20.7 Percentage2001: 20.7 Percentage2002: 21.2 Percentage2003: 20 Percentage2004: 21 Percentage2005: 20 Percentage2006: 20 Percentage2007: 20.3 Percentage2008: 20.6 Percentage2009: 20.1 Percentage2010: 20.9 Percentage2011: 22 Percentage2012: 21.5 Percentage2013: 21.9 Percentage2014: 22.1 Percentage2015: 21.5 Percentage2016: 20.9 Percentage2017: 21.2 Percentage2018: 20.8 Percentage2019: 20.1 Percentage2020: 19.8 Percentage2021: 19 Percentage2022: 17.9 Percentage2023: 18.5 Percentage2024: 17.9 Percentage2025: 17.2 Percentage

Source: Eurostat. Measured in Percentage.

Analysis

In 2025, over-qualification rates by citizenship in Switzerland stood at 17.2%. That is the lowest value across all 30 years on record.

The figure is down 3.9% on the previous year and down 20.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, over-qualification rates by citizenship in Switzerland peaked at 23.3% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 17.2%, in 2025.

That places Switzerland 26th out of 36 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 30 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 22.2% 21.1% 23.3% 4
2000s 20.5% 20.0% 21.2% 10
2010s 21.3% 20.1% 22.1% 10
2020s 18.4% 17.2% 19.8% 6

Countries ranked near Switzerland

  1. 23 Iceland 18.3% compare
  2. 23 Norway 18.3% compare
  3. 25 Montenegro 18.1% compare
  4. 27 Finland 16.9% compare
  5. 28 Denmark 16.3% compare
  6. 29 Portugal 16.1% compare

See the full ranking of 38 places →

More reference data data for Switzerland

All data for Switzerland →

Frequently asked questions

What is over-qualification rates by citizenship in Switzerland?
Over-qualification rates by citizenship in Switzerland was 17.2% in 2025, according to Eurostat.
What is the highest over-qualification rates by citizenship recorded in Switzerland?
The highest recorded value was 23.3% in 1996.
What is the lowest over-qualification rates by citizenship recorded in Switzerland?
The lowest recorded value was 17.2% in 2025.
How does Switzerland rank for over-qualification rates by citizenship?
Switzerland ranks 26th out of 36 countries with data for 2025.
Is over-qualification rates by citizenship rising or falling in Switzerland?
Over the last ten years it is down 20.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Switzerland data come from?
The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Over-qualification rates by citizenship. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 30 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).

About this data

Indicator
Over-qualification rates by citizenship
Unit
Percentage
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
38 places, 1,011 data points, 1995–2025
Last refreshed