According to Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office (FSO), nearly two-thirds of children under 13 received some form of supplementary family care in 2023. On average, Swiss children spent 14 hours a week in non-parental care. Unsurprisingly, the youngest children received the most attention: those under four clocked in around 20 hours weekly.
Grandparents bear a significant share of the burden, reported SRF. Almost half of parents with children under three relied on grandparents or other informal carers, such as relatives or neighbours. By comparison, in Germany and France the smae share of informal care is just 10%, and in Austria and Italy roughly one-third. The FSO estimates that Swiss grandparents provided a staggering 157 million hours of childcare in 2023.
Differences within Switzerland are striking. In French-speaking Switzerland, over 50% of households used formal childcare facilities, such as crèches or after-school programmes. In German-speaking areas, the figure was 41%, and just 37% in Italian-speaking Ticino. Childminder services—more informal than daycare centres—are notably more common in French-speaking Switzerland than elsewhere.
Formal care is also on the rise. The proportion of children in daycare or school-based programmes has increased by five percentage points since 2020, reaching 39%. Family day care, though still marginal, serves 6% of children. Nannies, babysitters, and au pairs remain a rarity, accounting for just 3% of supplementary care. This is likely due to their high cost.
In a typical week, a third of children spend time with their grandparents, and a further 10% are cared for by other relatives or acquaintances. While formal day care is growing in importance, Switzerland’s unofficial childcare providers—the nation’s grand parents—remain indispensable.
More on this:
SRF article (in German)
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