Average wealth Switzerland by age
Looking at average wealth across Switzerland makes only limited sense. The Median assets Switzerland-wide is much more meaningful, as you will learn below.
Is there a median wealth figure for Switzerland broken down by age?
No, at least not at national level. The Federal Statistical Office does not conduct its own wealth survey and, on its wealth page, simply displays the table provided by the Federal Tax Administration. The FTA, in turn, receives only categorised data from the cantons, without any age details, and expressly excludes analyses by age group. There is therefore no official, nationwide table showing wealth by age.
The best available indication is provided by LUSTAT Statistics Lucerne. The analysis is based on real tax data and shows how wealth is built up over the course of a lifetime:
| Age of the reference person | Median equivalent net wealth, Canton of Lucerne 2020 |
|---|---|
| 18 to 25 years | CHF 15,800 |
| 26 to 34 years old | CHF 26,000 |
| 35 to 44 years old | CHF 26,900 |
| 45 to 54 years old | CHF 49,700 |
| 55 to 64 years | CHF 104,600 |
| 65 to 74 years | CHF 240,700 |
Source: LUSTAT Lucerne Statistics, FinSit 2024, data for 2020. Across all age groups, the figure stood at CHF 69,900.
Important to bear in mind: These are not Swiss average figures. The figures relate to private households in the canton of Lucerne and show the median equivalent net wealth by age of the reference person. They provide an indication of how wealth grows over the course of a lifetime, not the exact amount of wealth you should have at your age. As with tax statistics, pension funds and Pillar 3a savings are not included here, and property values are shown at their tax value rather than their market value.
Two things stand out about this series. The A leap in retirement age An increase from CHF 104,600 to CHF 240,700 is not a sudden windfall, but rather a reclassification: on retirement, pension fund assets are withdrawn and Pillar 3a accounts are closed. This money was already there, but did not appear in the tax statistics. It does so from the moment it is paid out.
And the Delle between 35 and 44: This group has seen its income rise by just 9.1 per cent since 2010 – less than any other. LUSTAT attributes this to reduced working hours following the arrival of children and to higher expenditure, such as on external childcare. Those who make little progress financially during this phase are therefore not the exception, but the rule.
«Because there are still enough Swiss people who belong to the bottom 50 per cent of the median wealth. »
Yes, and strangely enough, it is always exactly 50% that belong to the lower 50%, no matter how high the assets are.....
Touché! Someone was paying attention in maths class 😄 You're right, of course - the median is always exactly 50% by definition. Thanks for pointing that out!
In principle, I always find such articles quite interesting, but when it says «We are in first place for both median and average wealth», but then in the corresponding table 6 out of 10 countries are ahead of Switzerland for the median, the question inevitably arises as to whether all the other information is also just total rubbish.
The table was (as declared) from 2021 and accordingly the 1st place was still correct here. The source (Wikipedia) is still set to 2021 for the Gini... But because this is confusing, we have now switched to other data. So your feedback has helped 🙂
How up-to-date is the data? I haven't found that anywhere. If Credit Suisse figures are quoted, it must be some time ago. it's the end of October 2025.
The figures are as up-to-date as the FSO publishes them 🙂 (usually 1 year in arrears)
Update, 9 September 2026: The article now draws directly on data from the Federal Tax Administration for the 2022 tax year, published in November 2025. The FSO displays the same FTA table on its wealth page.
Thank you for the article.
Is the data above from the Federal Office on assets at household level or individual level?
Greetings
They are individual 🙂
Addendum, 9 September 2026: The FTA data covers taxable entities, with married couples assessed jointly counted as a single entity. The UBS Global Wealth Report, by contrast, calculates the figures per adult.
Hello, I have just discovered this compilation. Good overview. I will recommend this page to my children (aged around 30). What I'm missing from the list of assets is property ownership. The assets are zero if the mortgages are high enough. In my experience, home ownership, including property for rent, is still a very good investment.
And what I'm still missing: the income and asset situation of pensioners is not included. I wish that these figures would also appear here.
And the financial tips for this age group would also be important. Many people over the age of 65 continue to work and try various ways to improve their financial situation.
I would be delighted if these aspects were included here in the coming weeks and months.
Merci already now 🙂
Thank you for your feedback, Lilo! 🙂
These are very good suggestions, which I am happy to take on board. Reliable data is always important - if I find something suitable, I'll be happy to include it in the article!
Hello Eric
How did the statistics come up with a difference of 50%: "According to the statistics, our average (USD 696,604) and median wealth (CHF 168,084) are only around 50 per cent apart."? ?
Hello Herrmann
🙂 I wrote the sentence a little better.
Hello Eric. Please note that your calculator says "Assets according to tax return". However, 3a funds are not declared as assets in the tax return. In the chart above regarding median salary, however, you write that 3a funds are included. What is correct?
Is corrected, thank you 🙂
Great overview and work, Eric. Many thanks for that.
In my personal assets, I always include the PF assets according to the latest statement of the pension fund, AFTER taxes. I also consider the assets in the pension fund to be "safe" because many regulations apply that force the pension funds to invest conservatively. Large fluctuations should not happen. Instead, I can invest the money that remains after I have put aside the nest egg in a somewhat riskier way.
Hello Martin,
that's a good approach, thanks for sharing!
Personally, I also track this for myself in Portfolio Performance and have created a category there "tied pension provision" -> so I always know which part of my assets I can access and which I can't or only to a limited extent.
Best regards 🙂
The assets are constantly compared without PK and 3A. However, this makes little sense.
There are people who buy heavily into the pension scheme. Or there are countries that have hardly any pension provision.
If this were taken into account, Switzerland would probably be in a better position on the one hand. On the other hand, the differences in wealth in Switzerland would be much greater...
You are right that pension fund and 3a assets are not included in most international comparisons. This would indeed put Switzerland in an even better position. However, this applies equally to all countries - pension entitlements from pay-as-you-go systems (e.g. in Germany) are also missing from the statistics. The comparison is therefore consistent, even if it does not show the full picture.
Which assets are included in assets (in Switzerland)? Specifically: Incl. or excl. pension fund assets (2nd pillar)?
Hello, Hugo,
A good question! The Federal Statistical Office includes pension funds in household assets - and also shows directly that these represent a significant component of assets.
Here is the link: https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/de/home/statistiken/querschnittsthemen/wohlfahrtsmessung/indikatoren/vermoegen-haushalte.html
Kind regards
Eric
Hmm... that of course "distorts" the matter of assets relatively strongly, at least in comparison to countries where old-age provision is largely in the "1st pillar" (state pension provision according to the pay-as-you-go system)... I assume that's why (not only) things look quite different in Germany.
Correct, in other countries the pension systems are generally structured differently - but they are probably considered equally in such analyses. Do you think that pension fund assets (or their equivalent abroad) should not be taken into account here?
My assumption/opinion: The credit balance of the 2nd pillar in Switzerland corresponds to the cash value of the expected pension (funded method). For a state pension, this amount is not visible or is not saved anywhere (pay-as-you-go method).
The PF assets are somehow an in-between between free assets and potential pension in the future, since there are (currently) possibilities to transfer these funds early into the free assets (home ownership promotion, self-employment, leaving Switzerland). However, such a capital withdrawal lowers the future pension, so compared to other countries it would be something like a loan that you then pay off during retirement with lower pensions. Overall, the comparison across different systems is certainly very difficult. Therefore, it would be interesting from my point of view to see how the situation is with and without pension funds, so everyone could make a picture and judge.
In addition, I find it problematic that the PF assets are still pre-tax, so to speak, and would only be taxed when transferred to free assets. At least this circumstance should be taken into account when comparing these assets with assets of people from other countries/systems. Whether the FSO takes this into account or not, I cannot judge. However, I tend to think not.
am here absolutely with you Hugo! If you find reliable data where this is taken into account accordingly, feel free to forward it to me. I also keep my eyes open 🙂
As a German who has lived in Switzerland for almost 11 years, perhaps I can help out. Yes, the German pension system is mainly based on a pay-as-you-go system like our AHV here. However, in Germany we also know the company pension plan (often in the form of a so-called Rürup pension), which is capital-based like our BVG (and so far at least does not suffer from hidden contributions as here), and with the Riester pension there is also a vehicle that is roughly comparable to the pillar 3a. However, I can't explain to you where the preference comes from to name screwed-up politically motivated pension innovations after people of dubious repute.
The occupational pension scheme is usually available to higher earners, while anyone can take out a pension. However, within just a few years of their introduction, both systems have become worse and worse.
My impression, which is also repeatedly supported by analyses and studies on the GINI coefficient, is that although we have a large spread in incomes in Switzerland, wealth is not quite as unequally distributed as, for example, in DE, AT or the USA.