In Switzerland, poverty means not having what others take for granted. The official poverty line in 2005 was 2,200 francs per month for a single person household, or 4,600 for a family with two children.

The number of low-income families in Canton Ticino is twice as great as in Canton Zurich.

A report issued in 2005 by the UN agency UNICEF on child poverty in 26 OECD countries found that 6.8% of children in Switzerland were affected. Families were defined as poor if they received less than half the median income for their country. In this respect only the Scandinavians had a lower rate. Switzerland tied with the Czech Republic. The rate in Australia was 14.7%, in Canada 14.9, in Great Britain 15.4, and the US 21.9%.

Working poors

Some people have jobs but nevertheless live below the poverty line. This group is categorised as the "working poor". The Federal Statistical Office reported that 4,2% of persons aged 20 to 59 fell into this category in 2005, down from 4,5% in 2004. The proportion of working poor in the population rose sharply in the mid-1990s, but since the turn of the century the overall trend has been downwards.

Welfare benefits

Welfare benefit is available for those who would otherwise fall below the minimum means of existence. According to the Federal Statistical Office 3.3% of the population drew such benefits in 2005. The report showed that beneficiaries were more likely to live in urban centres, where they accounted for five per cent of the population, than in rural areas, where the rate was only 1.4%.

The population groups who were over-represented in the figures included children in single-parent families or with many siblings, and young adults with no professional qualifications. Foreign residents, who often fall into both these categories, accounted for 43.8% of those drawing benefits.