Thanks to the working atmosphere and friends: the Swiss are the happiest Europeans

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According to the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), Switzerland had the highest life satisfaction of all European countries in 2022. This has hardly changed since 2014. Yet almost one in ten people lived in financial difficulties.

Switzerland achieved a score of 8 out of 10 for life satisfaction, putting the country ahead of its neighbors Austria (7.9), Italy (7.2), France (7) and Germany (6.5), according to the BFS on Tuesday announced.

Satisfaction increases with age, education level and income. The Swiss population is especially satisfied in interpersonal areas such as living together, working atmosphere or personal relationships. More than half of people aged 16 and older were very satisfied in these areas in 2022.

Lack of free time

The population is quite dissatisfied with the available free time or their personal financial situation. Only every third person was very satisfied here.

In 2022, 4.9 percent of the population had to forego important goods, services or social activities for financial reasons. Only one in 10 people affected by this hardship are very satisfied with their lives, the report said. That is more than a third of the total population. A quarter of underprivileged people indicate that they often or always feel discouraged or depressed. This was only five percent of the total population.

Poverty rate at 8.2 percent

The poverty rate was 8.2 percent: that corresponds to approximately 702,000 people. Last year the percentage was even higher, at 8.7 percent. The price increases for electricity, heating costs and consumer goods that have occurred since 2022 are not yet reflected in the BFS figures. Foreigners, single-parent families, people without post-compulsory education and households without workers are most often affected by income poverty.

The poverty rate among the working population was 3.8 percent, equivalent to 144,000 people. In 2022, the poverty line for a single person was 2,284 francs per month and for two adults with two children 4,010 francs per month. (SDA)

Source:Blick