ZURICH: There are currently 615,000 people living in poverty in Switzerland, which corresponds to 7.5% of the permanent resident population, wrote the Federal Council in a statementexternal linkon Wednesday. Some 108,000 of the people affected are children.
Compared to previous years the poverty rate is stable, the government added, but there is a slight upward trend.Over the last five years, the federal government – in conjunction with cantons, cities, municipalities, and non-governmental organisations – has implemented a programme to prevent and combat poverty in the country. It spent a total of CHF9 million ($9.3 million) for this purpose between the years of 2014 and 2018.
