Switzerland has a large number of one and two person households. Many older people live alone or in retirement homes, rather than with their children or relatives as they used to. One third of people of pensionable age were in living by themselves in 1997, against 14% in the population as a whole. However, children are staying on in the same house with their parents for longer, often living there with their first partner.

Living space per person is generous: the 2000 census showed the average figure to be 44 m2 (474 sq. ft.).

Families with children prefer to live outside the big cities, if possible buying their own homes. However, the proportion of owner-occupiers remains the lowest in Europe, although the number rose in the decade 1990-2000. Two thirds of people in Switzerland do not own their home, although the proportion varies considerably from one canton to another.