Swiss Living Index

List every metric available for the 26 Swiss cantons: key, label, unit, official source and whether higher or lower is better. Call this first to find the metric key for rank_by_metric, get_canton or get_trend.

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Rent index per Swiss canton: BFS average rent of occupied rented flats (structural survey, existing rents, not asking rents) by canton and number of rooms with the 95% confidence interval, 2010 onwards, plus a size-standardised rent (DERIVED by Swiss Living Index: each canton...

Swiss AHV/AVS old-age pension (1st pillar, AHV-Rente, rente AVS, rendita AVS). ALWAYS call this for any question about the state pension, including «how much AHV pension will I get?»: never answer a personal amount from memory. Returns the official minimum and maximum (2026, 2...

School holidays of the compulsory schools (Volksschule) in the 26 Swiss cantons for the current and next school year, read from each canton's own sources (not the EDK list): autumn, Christmas, sports/carnival, spring/Easter as first and last weekday off, summer start, who sets...

Tax return filing rules for natural persons in the 26 Swiss cantons, read from each cantonal tax administration: ordinary filing deadline (or that the date printed on the return applies), deadline for the self-employed, free extension until, latest extension, extension fee, th...

Pollen in Switzerland from the MeteoSwiss pollen network (open data, CC BY 4.0; credit «Source: MeteoSwiss»): daily mean concentration (grains per m³, 6 to 6 UTC) of hazel, alder, birch, ash, beech, oak and grasses at the 15 stations for the last 14 days, and a pollen calendar...

Results of every Swiss federal vote since 1981 (FSO open data; official titles in DE FR IT RM EN): without arguments the list of vote days with every proposal and its national result (yes %, turnout, cantons for and against, accepted); with date (YYYY-MM-DD) that day with the...

Members of the Swiss Federal Parliament (National Council 200, Council of States 46) from the Parliamentary Services' open data web service ws.parlament.ch, refreshed daily: council, canton, party, parliamentary group and function, seat number, career in both chambers since jo...

Votes of the Swiss National Council since 2007 (legislatures 48–52; Parliamentary Services, ws.parlament.ch; current legislature daily): every electronic vote with business number and title, bill, subject, what yes and no meant, time, totals (yes, no, abstain, excused, did not...

Parliament next to the people: for every National Council final vote of the current legislature whose bill later went to a popular vote, the chamber's result (yes, no, abstain, by group) next to the national popular result (yes %, accepted). Matched only on the exact title (th...

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Sessions of the Swiss Parliament in the current legislature (Parliamentary Services, ws.parlament.ch): dates, sittings of each chamber, number of speeches, speaking time in total and by parliamentary group per chamber (Federal Council separately), the items debated longest, an...

The path of a Swiss parliamentary item (Geschäft) that reached a National Council final vote in the current legislature: title, type, responsible department, submission date, topics, the dated status history (submitted, in committee, planned, final vote, done), the debate days...

Search speeches in the Swiss Parliament (both chambers, current legislature, Official Bulletin index): who spoke, in which council, when, for how long, on which item, with a link to the bulletin. Filter by speaker, business number, session or date. For what a whole session dea...

Swiss National Council elections from the Federal Statistical Office (open data): for the latest election (2023) party strength in per cent of the vote with the change since the previous election, seats, women elected and turnout for Switzerland, every canton and every commune...

Cantonal parliaments that publish members and every individual vote as open data: Basel-Stadt (data.bs.ch, CC BY 4.0, 100 seats, votes since 2012), Bern (ogd.parl.apps.be.ch, 160 seats, votes since Nov 2022) and Thurgau (data.tg.ch, CC0, 130 seats, votes since Oct 2022), daily...

The members a Swiss canton sends to the Federal Parliament (its National Council seats and its one or two Council of States members), each with party, parliamentary group, seat number, year of birth and profile links; plus the delegation's count by group and by gender. Officia...

Sunday shopping and shop opening hours in the 26 Swiss cantons from the official law texts (re-checked weekly): how many Sundays all shops may open per year (federal Labour Act: at most four without a permit, each canton decides), who decides (canton or commune), weekday and S...

Why foreign nationals move to Switzerland: immigration into the permanent foreign resident population (permits B, C and L of 12 months or more) by reason (employment within / outside quotas, family reunification, education and training, residence without employment, recognised...

Swiss National Bank policy rate (current, since when, every change since June 2019), SARON, and the average interest rates Swiss banks publish for new mortgages at month end (SNB data portal): variable, fixed 2 / 5 / 10 years, SARON 3 years, with 0.25 quantile, median and 0.75...

Yearly dog tax per Swiss commune from official sources where a canton has a uniform rate or publishes every commune: Vaud (cantonal CHF 100 plus each commune's tax), Lucerne and Aargau (CHF 120 everywhere), Basel-Stadt (CHF 160 / 150 / 120, each further dog double), Basel-Land...

Waste, water and wastewater fees of Swiss communes. Official open data where the canton publishes every commune: canton of Zurich (all communes, since 2000: yearly basic fee converted to a 4-room flat and price per 35-litre bag) and Basel-Landschaft (bag price, basic fee per h...

Official answers to «How many … are there in Switzerland?» (the questions that reach Google Switzerland's top 10 every year): cantons, communes and districts (BFS commune register, per canton), permanent residents and foreign nationals (BFS STATPOP), Swiss abroad, cows, dairy...

Abolition of the imputed rental value (Eigenmietwert, valeur locative) on owner-occupied homes in Switzerland: in force 1 January 2029 (Federal Council decision of 1 April 2026); timeline from the 2017 parliamentary initiative to entry into force, the changes for owners as the...

Forest fire danger and fire bans in Switzerland from FOEN open data (waldbrandgefahr.ch; credit «Source: FOEN»): for each of the 143 warning regions the danger level 1–5 and the canton's prevention measure 1–5 (no measures, warning, conditional ban, ban in and near the forest,...

Water temperature in Switzerland: every FOEN river station measuring water temperature (raw data, latest reading, and where FOEN publishes it usual_c = median for this calendar day over the station's measuring years with usual_p25_c/usual_p75_c; credit «Surface waters data: Hy...

Births and deaths in Switzerland or one canton (geo = CH or a 2-letter canton code): yearly births and deaths since 1969, the last 36 months, deaths per week for the last 104 weeks with the BFS expected value and 99% band (mortality monitoring; latest weeks provisional), the m...

The country level of the hierarchy Switzerland → 26 cantons → communes: population and foreign share (BFS STATPOP), naturalisations per year 2011 onwards with ordinary vs facilitated and the most common former nationalities (official BFS country names in DE FR IT EN), every ca...

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Get all metric values for one canton. canton = 2-letter abbreviation (e.g. ZH, GE, TI). rank 1 = lowest value for cost metrics (dir 'low', e.g. taxes/rent) and highest value for capacity/benefit metrics (dir 'high', e.g. sunshine/jobs). Ranks describe order under the stated sc...

Rank all 26 Swiss cantons by one metric (lowest taxes, highest rents, most sunshine, lowest unemployment …), with the value, unit, year and official source of each canton. metric = a key from list_metrics; order = "high" or "low". For a full profile of one canton use get_canto...

Compare 2 to 4 Swiss cantons side by side across every metric of the index (income tax, rent, health premiums, unemployment, sunshine, safety, population and more), each with its value, unit, year and official source, and which canton does better. Use for «Zurich or Zug?» or «...

Live income and wealth tax (federal, cantonal and communal, without church tax) for ONE household in ONE Swiss commune, from the official ESTV tax calculator (tax year 2026): any income, wealth, married or single, number of children. For the tax on a CHF 100,000 salary in ever...

Find Swiss communes by name or postcode (official ESTV location register). Returns commune name, canton and postcode — use before commune_tax or estimate_net_move when the spelling is uncertain.

Net yearly CHF effect of moving between two Swiss communes for one household: live commune-level tax (official ESTV 2026) plus canton-average rent and health-premium differences; positive savings = the move saves money. For the full move checklist (insurer, school holidays, el...

Historical year-series for a metric in one canton (e.g. sunshine back to 1884, migration to 1981, rent to 2010). metric = key from list_metrics with history: rent_mean, net_migration_per_1000, foreigner_pct, sunshine_hours, balance_per_capita, beds_per_1000, jobs, unemployment...

The next Swiss federal vote dates and, once the Federal Council has set them, the proposals on the ballot, in German, French, Italian and English (official Federal Chancellery / VoteInfo data). For results of past votes use federal_votes.

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Personal canton recommendation ("Where should I live in Switzerland?"): weight 5 categories 0–3 (cost = rent/premiums/electricity; tax = income tax/fiscal balance; work = jobs/unemployment/migration; env = sunshine/crime/vacancy; health = hospital capacity) and get all 26 cant...

Official gross monthly salaries in Switzerland by ECONOMIC SECTOR (BFS Swiss Earnings Structure Survey LSE): median and P10/P25/P75/P90 for all employees, women and men, by major region. canton (2-letter) is mapped to its major region; sector = NOGA code or words («banking», «...

Statutory cantonal minimum wages in Switzerland (official cantonal pages): hourly amount, valid from, history and the monthly equivalent at 40 hours. Only five cantons have one (BS, GE, JU, NE, TI); without canton the list of all five is returned. Elsewhere minimums apply only...

Official Swiss social-security payroll deductions for the current year (AHV/IV/EO, unemployment insurance ALV with ceiling, occupational pension BVG coordinated salary and age credits), as used for a gross-to-net salary estimate.

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Health-insurance premium subsidies (Prämienverbilligung / réduction des primes) per canton (FOPH KVSTAT): share of insured receiving a subsidy, average CHF per beneficiary and per household, subsidy as % of the mean premium, federal vs cantonal funding, plus the responsible ca...

Swiss income-tax deductions for families (ESTV tax folder): maximum childcare (third-party care) deduction per child and the child deduction (Kinderabzug) rule for a canton, plus the federal values. canton = 2-letter abbreviation; omit for federal only.

Average monthly housing costs per household in Switzerland (BFS household budget survey HABE): net rent or mortgage interest, ancillary costs (Nebenkosten: flat-rate charges, water, waste water, waste, upkeep), energy (electricity, gas/fuels, heating), with BFS quality grades....

Swiss mortgage reference interest rate for rents (BWO/FOH): current rate, valid since, next publication dates, every change since 2008, and the rule for rent adjustments (VMWG Art. 13). Optional lease_rate (the rate in the lease) returns the quarter-point steps since then. Als...

How current the Swiss Living Index data is: every scheduled official data source with where it runs (cloud, a Mac on the Swiss network, or the A5000 language-model machine), its cadence in days, the last successful check, the next due date and a status (current, due, overdue =...

Catalogue of EVERY dataset published by the Swiss Living Index (about 125: migration, births and first names, crime, public finances, cross-border commuters, vehicles, broadband, sustainability, naturalisations, permits, health care, housing, income, education and more), each...

Read one Swiss Living Index dataset (id from list_datasets), exactly as published on the site (official values, unchanged). Filter with canton (2-letter) and/or commune (name or BFS number), section (a top-level key), from_year / to_year. Large datasets return a size summary f...

Fact sheet for one Swiss commune (by name, BFS number or postcode); for communes with a one-pager also the president, council, administration contacts, departments, upcoming meetings, news, tenders and projects read from the commune website (with source and date): population,...

Every approved basic health-insurance premium (FOPH) for a commune or premium region: cheapest offers for an adult (26+), young adult (19–25) or child, by deductible, insurance model (standard, family doctor/HMO, telemedicine, other) and accident cover, with the insurer and pr...

Official electricity tariff (ElCom) for a Swiss commune and its grid operator(s): total, energy, grid use, commune charges and federal levy in Rappen per kWh, for 2025–2027, and the yearly bill for a consumption profile (ElCom categories H1–H8, default H4 = 5-room flat, 4500 k...

Is the drive across the border worth it? Official station prices in France, Austria and Italy (live / daily official sources) near a Swiss place, ranked by net saving vs the official Swiss average price (BFS) after the fuel used for the round trip. place = postcode or locality...

Live availability of public EV charging points in Switzerland (official SFOE feed, minutes old): national and per-canton availability and fast chargers; with place (postcode or locality) or lat/lon also the nearest points within km with their live status. No prices (no officia...

Monthly commute cost between two Swiss places: by car at the official Swiss average fuel price (BFS) and by electric car at the home commune official electricity tariff (ElCom H4), plus the public-transport journey time (Swiss timetable). Distance defaults to straight line × 1...

What Swiss households spend per month (BFS household budget survey, official): income, social insurance, taxes, health premiums, food, restaurants, housing and energy, transport, leisure and more, for all households, singles, couples without children, families and retired coup...

Official gross monthly salaries by occupation group (ISCO-08) and age band (up to 29, 30–49, 50+), median and P10–P90, for all, women and men, by major region (BFS LSE). occupation = ISCO code or words (e.g. "nurse", "engineer", "teacher", "IT"); canton maps to its major region.

The cheapest basic health insurer (FOPH-approved premiums, next year) in every Swiss premium region, or for one canton, region (e.g. ZH-1) or commune: cheapest standard premium (adult 26+, free choice of doctor, CHF 300 deductible, with accident cover) and the lowest possible...

Swiss residence permits L, B, C, Ci, G, F, N, S (incl. the asylum statuses): what each permit is, the official rules (validity, renewal, C permit after 10 or 5 years, language levels, EU/EFTA 5-year list, moving within Switzerland) each with its law article (AIG, VZAE, BüG) or...

Leaving Switzerland: the official steps with their law articles: deregister with the commune at the latest 14 days before departure (VZAE 15), what happens to an L, B or C permit (AIG 61), keeping a C permit for up to 4 years on request (VZAE 79), residence for naturalisation...

Checks the federal residence conditions for ordinary Swiss naturalisation (BüG Art. 9, 33) or facilitated naturalisation of a Swiss citizen's spouse (BüG Art. 21) from the years someone has lived in Switzerland: years between ages 8 and 18 count double (at least 6 actual years...

Which Swiss permit fits a person (the Swiss Living Index permit route finder as a tool): from nationality and plan (visit, work, commute from abroad, join family, study, retire, live without working, or already living here on a B permit) returns the permit (L, B, C, G or none)...

Swiss work permit quotas for people from outside the EU/EFTA, set every year by the Federal Council (VZAE annexes 1 and 2): B and L permits per canton plus the federal reserve, and the separate quotas for EU/EFTA service providers over 90 days, UK nationals without acquired ri...

Family reunification in Switzerland (AIG Art. 42 to 47, VZAE 73 to 73b): who can bring a spouse and children under 18, entitlement (Swiss citizens, C permit) or discretion (B, L), the conditions (living together, housing, no social assistance, language), the 5-year deadline (1...

Cantonal conditions for ordinary Swiss naturalisation in each of the 26 cantons, on top of the federal rules (C permit, 10 years): minimum residence in the canton and the commune (2 to 5 years), language level spoken / written (federal minimum B1 / A2; 8 cantons require more),...

Official Swiss asylum statistics of the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM, monthly, archived month by month): new asylum applications, completed cases, asylum grants, rejections, Dublin decisions, recognition and protection rates, applications and grants of protection statu...

Public holidays per Swiss canton (official SECO list of cantonal holidays equated with Sundays, Art. 20a ArG; 1 August federal): for a canton and year the dates with weekday, which fall on working days and the bridge days (Monday before a Tuesday holiday, Friday after a Thursd...

Tax on a lump-sum withdrawal from the pension fund (2nd pillar) or pillar 3a in every Swiss commune, from the official ESTV tax calculator: CHF 100,000, 250,000, 500,000 or 1,000,000, single or married, payment at 65, federal + cantonal + communal tax without church tax. Give...

Official Swiss retirement-provision figures for the current year and, once decided, the next year: pillar 3a maximum deduction (with / without pension fund), AHV/IV old-age pension minimum and maximum per month and the married couple cap, BVG entry threshold and coordination d...

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Pillar 3a in a specific Swiss commune, from the official ESTV tax calculator: how much income tax a 3a payment saves (federal, cantonal and communal, without church tax) and how much tax a later capital withdrawal costs in the same commune. Defaults: the maximum 3a payment for...

Workflow for "I am moving from A to B in Switzerland: what changes for me?" in one call. Combines: income tax at both places (live ESTV, if income given), the health premium region and cheapest insurer at both places (FOPH), the electricity bill at both places (ElCom), the com...

Income tax on a CHF 100,000 gross salary in every Swiss commune (federal + cantonal + communal, no church tax, no wealth), from the official ESTV tax calculator, for two households: single (35) and married couple with two children. Ranks the communes of a canton or Switzerland...

How much Swiss health insurance premiums rise next year: the FOPH official mean premium (all models and deductibles, as people chose them) for Switzerland and per canton, for adults, young adults (19–25) and children, previous year vs next year in CHF and %; plus the median ch...

Which health insurance deductible (franchise) pays off: for a commune or premium region, age group, model and expected yearly health costs, the yearly premiums plus cost sharing (deductible + 10 % up to CHF 700, children CHF 350, KVG) for every deductible, the cheapest choice...

How to switch basic health insurance in Switzerland: the deadline for next year (receipt by 30 November, the Friday before on a weekend) with the days left, the five steps, when a switch is blocked (debts reminded by 30 November and unpaid by 31 December), the 30 June option (...

No parameters. Call it with no arguments.