Extreme Poverty in Switzerland: 1800 to Today (and Tomorrow)

Extreme poverty is more than a metric; it is the tangible reality of daily survival. When measured against the international extreme poverty line of .15/day, 2017 PPP, these figures represent the difference between stability and the struggle for basic needs. In the 1800s estimate, 32.4 percent of the population faced conditions where basic needs were rarely met. This was a world where a significant portion of the populace existed in a state of profound vulnerability, defining the human experience through scarcity.

The historical trajectory reflects a steady, incremental improvement in human security. From the 30.7 recorded in the 1810s estimate, the share of the population in extreme poverty consistently receded. By 1900 it was 15.4 %, falling further to 13.55 in the 1910s, 9.85 in the 1930s, and 2.59 by the 1970s. This structural change continued until the 2020s, when extreme poverty in Switzerland stands at 0.1 %, a milestone suggesting a stabilization of 0.2 from the 2030s projection through the 2100s projection.

For a person born in Switzerland during the 1800s estimate, extreme poverty was a constant shadow. Today, that reality is fundamentally altered. In the 2020s, extreme poverty in Switzerland stands at 0.1 % — ranking #12 of 157 countries. The transition from the 25.6 seen in the 1840s estimate to the current state illustrates a profound shift in the likelihood of living below the international extreme poverty line. You are witnessing the statistical erasure of a historical condition.

Use the provided tools to compute your own parallel lives based on these historic indicators.