Primary schools in Switzerland – Not everyone has the same opportunitiesImage: keystone
Financial inequality has a negative impact on children’s well-being, a new UNICEF report shows. Equal opportunities in education and health in particular are suffering greatly from economic pressure – also in Switzerland.
May 12, 2026, 6:36 p.mMay 12, 2026, 6:36 p.m
The richest nations in the world are getting richer. But currently this wealth is not shared equally with the entire society. In one newly published UNICEF report Analyzes three aspects of child well-being in 44 high-income countries: physical health, mental health and their abilities.
The inequality
The report notes that nations with lower income inequality offer better conditions for children’s development, education and health than countries that are similarly wealthy but have greater economic inequality.
But despite the rise in wealth, a gap remains between the poorest and richest fifth. Even in the nations with the smallest income differences, the wages of the highest income bracket are around 3.5 times higher than those of the lowest. In the most unequal countries it is seven times as much. This inequality is also reflected in the lives of children in various forms.
While 73 percent of children in rich families are in very good physical shape, only 58 percent of the poorest fifth report being very physically healthy. According to the report, children in lower socioeconomic backgrounds are at higher risk of obesity. Families with lower incomes have greater difficulty buying healthy and diverse foods because they are often expensive.
At the same time, the five countries with the highest income inequality also have the highest child mortality rates of all nations evaluated.
The situation is similar with life satisfaction. 67 percent of children living in severely disadvantaged families report high life satisfaction. Significantly less than the 77 percent in the top fifth of income brackets.
The education
The influence of socioeconomic inequality is particularly clear in education. While 83 percent of young people from privileged households, i.e. in the top 20 percent of the income bracket, achieve basic skills in mathematics and reading, the figure is only 42 percent for young people from disadvantaged families.
This difference is most pronounced in Romania at 61 percent. But not far behind – in 11th place – is Switzerland.
Switzerland
The level of education in Switzerland is relatively high across all income classes compared to other countries. But the gap between the education of the poorest and the richest is also large at 45 percent. This makes Switzerland one of the countries with the largest differences in school performance.
“The data clearly shows that social background in Switzerland is still crucial for children’s opportunities,” says Désirée Zaugg, child rights and policy expert at UNICEF Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
The analysis shows a central area of tension, the report continues. Although the Swiss welfare state protects against extreme material hardship, it only compensates for unequal starting conditions to a limited extent. Social background therefore remains a decisive factor for children’s educational success and living conditions.
At the same time, according to the study, the situation has worsened in recent years: both child poverty and income inequality have increased by more than 10 percent in Switzerland over the past ten years. This makes Switzerland one of the OECD countries with the strongest increase.
From UNICEF’s perspective, the analysis shows that additional efforts are necessary to give all children equal opportunities – regardless of their social background.