Switzerland pays more social benefits than the big EU countries

Switzerland pays more social benefits than the big EU countries, but there is a but

The social benefits peaked in Switzerland in 2016. This also applies to an international comparison: converted into purchasing power, none of the five largest EU Member States contributed as much to their contribution as the residents in Switzerland.

But beware: if you take the gross domestic product (GDP) as a reference, Switzerland is a rather greedy supporter. As the GDP in Switzerland is high, the share of social benefits is lower than elsewhere: of the five most populous EU countries, only Spain spends less on social security benefits than Switzerland, which is 23.9% . In this country, it is about two percentage points higher. France distributes almost a third of its GDP pie to the needy.

Measured in terms of the artificial currency unit Purchasing Power Standard (PPS), however, Switzerland is the first classified: 11 & 105 SPA for social benefits have been paid for residents. In Germany it was just under 10 500, in France just over 10,000, in Italy and in Britain about 7800 and in Spain 6237 KKS. In Eastern Europe, values ​​were generally below 3,000, with Serbia at the end of 2300, as shown by the new figures of the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

Elsewhere, Father State is generous

There is a surprising difference in the sources of financing. In Switzerland, fathers of state are much less involved than the five comparable countries: 23.7 percent of public sector social benefits come from the state and over 48 percent in Italy and the United Kingdom.

With 66.1 percent of the costs, employers and insured persons in Switzerland pay more for social security than in the five largest EU countries: in Germany and France, 60 to 64 percent of social benefits come from these sources, only in Great Britain 38.1.

Age and health are the most important budget items in all countries of comparison. The differences in the areas where social benefits go are small. Italy, for example, spends a lot on its social benefits for old age – almost half. And, like France and Spain, the country where lemons bloom spends more money on unemployment than northern countries. (Aeg / SDA)