Poverty and living standards in Basel-Landschaft (Nordwestschweiz, Switzerland): official figures
Social security cost the cantonal government of Basel-Landschaft CHF 718.57 million in 2024, or CHF 2,385 per resident, 13th highest of 26 cantons; health-insurance premium subsidies and other sickness benefits accounted for CHF 192.17 million of it.
How much does Basel-Landschaft spend on police?
Public order and safety, including the police (CHF 101.73 million), courts (CHF 74.79 million) and prisons (CHF 49.44 million), cost the cantonal government of Basel-Landschaft CHF 927 per resident in 2024.
Source: Federal Finance Administration (EFV/AFF) · saved copyHow many people are on welfare in Basel-Landschaft?
7,214 people in 4,672 households or cases (support units) received social assistance in Basel-Landschaft in 2024, an average of 1.54 people per case.
Source: Federal Statistical Office (BFS/OFS) · saved copyMore figures
- Cantonal spending on social assistance and asylum in Basel-Landschaft was CHF 123.09 million in 2024 (CHF 408 per resident), with CHF 94.41 million going to old age and survivors and CHF 230.73 million to disability. Source: Federal Finance Administration (EFV/AFF) · saved copy
- Families and young people received CHF 52.82 million of cantonal social spending in Basel-Landschaft in 2024, and social housing CHF 57,061. Source: Federal Finance Administration (EFV/AFF) · saved copy
- The social assistance rate in Basel-Landschaft was 3.0% in 2019, so it has fallen by 0.6 percentage points in five years (it stood at 2.7% in 2014). Source: Federal Statistical Office (BFS/OFS) · saved copy
- Basel-Landschaft accounted for 2.8% of all social assistance recipients in Switzerland in 2024, while holding 3.3% of the population. Source: Federal Statistical Office (BFS/OFS) · saved copy
How Basel-Landschaft compares with other cantons in Switzerland
Cantonal social security spending per resident (CHF) (2024)
Basel-Landschaft ranks 13 of 26, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Cantonal social security spending per resident (CHF) |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Fribourg / Freiburg | CHF 2,471 |
| 11 | Solothurn | CHF 2,462 |
| 12 | Glarus | CHF 2,435 |
| 13 | Basel-Landschaft | CHF 2,385 |
| 14 | Zürich | CHF 2,294 |
| 15 | Appenzell Ausserrhoden | CHF 2,192 |
| 16 | Luzern | CHF 2,138 |
Cantonal spending on social assistance and asylum per resident (CHF) (2024)
Basel-Landschaft ranks 17 of 26, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Cantonal spending on social assistance and asylum per resident (CHF) |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Uri | CHF 526 |
| 15 | Fribourg / Freiburg | CHF 513 |
| 16 | Appenzell Ausserrhoden | CHF 488 |
| 17 | Basel-Landschaft | CHF 408 |
| 18 | Zürich | CHF 408 |
| 19 | Graubünden / Grigioni / Grischun | CHF 379 |
| 20 | Solothurn | CHF 374 |
Social assistance rate (% of residents receiving economic social assistance) (2024)
Basel-Landschaft ranks 11 of 26, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Social assistance rate (% of residents receiving economic social assistance) |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Schaffhausen | 2.8% |
| 9 | Ticino | 2.8% |
| 10 | Zürich | 2.5% |
| 11 | Basel-Landschaft | 2.4% |
| 12 | Luzern | 2.1% |
| 13 | Fribourg / Freiburg | 2.0% |
| 14 | Appenzell Ausserrhoden | 1.9% |
Change in social assistance rate, 2019-2024 (percentage points) (2024)
Basel-Landschaft ranks 23 of 26, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Change in social assistance rate, 2019-2024 (percentage points) |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | Thurgau | -0.4 |
| 21 | Aargau | -0.5 |
| 22 | Glarus | -0.5 |
| 23 | Basel-Landschaft | -0.6 |
| 24 | Zürich | -0.6 |
| 25 | Basel-Stadt | -1.3 |
| 26 | Neuchâtel | -1.3 |
More on Basel-Landschaft: overview · economy and jobs · health · education and schools · government budget · government and politics · Nordwestschweiz · Switzerland
Sources
- Federal Finance Administration (EFV/AFF): Detaillierte Daten FS und GFS Modell: Standardauswertungen (financial statistics of the Confederation, cantons, communes and social insurance, 1990-2024; standardauswertung.csv with its codelist, saved zipped), read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 5fec658d1506…)
- Federal Statistical Office (BFS/OFS): WSH: Unterstützungseinheiten, Sozialhilfebeziehende und Sozialhilfequote der wirtschaftlichen Sozialhilfe nach Kanton, 2005-2024 (T 13.05.01.01.01), read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 12ff5cd56e28…)
Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.