What was positive in Switzerland in 2022

2022 was a bad year for the world. Especially for the war-torn residents of Ukraine. 10 million of them have to survive the cold winter without electricity. It’s hard for us to imagine.

2022 cannot be embellished for Ukrainians. And in Switzerland these days, again and again, among friends and on the street, you can hear the phrase: “2023 can only get better.”

But wait, wait: don’t we say that every year?

To prevent this negativity from taking over, I counter-cyclically focus on positive news from the economy at the end of the year. Because for us in Switzerland in 2022, the glass was half full, not half empty.

• While in Western countries inflation rose to 8-20 percent, in Switzerland it remained at 3 percent. This is the second highest inflation rate in the world among the largest economies after China.
• The corona pandemic seems to be over. The economic consequences are less severe and shorter than feared. Switzerland will register an economic growth of around 2 percent in 2022. One example is the tourism industry, which has recovered stronger and faster than expected.
• We Swiss do not need to freeze in our own four walls or take cold showers – we have prevented a dangerous shortage of electricity and gas. Contrary to expectations, Swiss reservoirs are well filled. We have nothing to worry about this winter.

The last few years have been difficult for us and the world due to the corona pandemic – 2022 is not yet the turning point. However, anyone who constantly complains in Switzerland does not understand the fact that we live much better than 99 percent of the world’s population.

Let’s be thankful for that and above all, let’s stay positive for 2023. Things can get better, but they can also get much worse for us.