Definition of Youth
Switzerland has several definitions of youth. The Youth Law (2011) defines childhood and youth as kindergarten age to 30 years. The Youth Policy Strategy (2008) identifies youth promotion measures in cantons as being aimed at youth aged 16-25 years.
Marriageable Age
- Opposite Sex
- Same Sex
- Without parental consent
- with parental consent
- Male
- 18
- 16
- ++
Candidacy Age
- Lower House
- 18 Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union
- Upper House
- --
Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union
Cantonal law governs minimum candidacy age for the upper house. The upper house is directly elected.
Criminal Responsibility
(2003)
Voting Age
Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union
Situation of Young People
Literacy Rates
- -- Male (15-24) %
- -- Female (15-24) %
- Year: No data.
- Source: UNESCO
Net Enrolment Rate
Secondary School- 82.19%Male %
- 79.80% Female %
- Year: 2012
- Source: UNESCO
Situation of Young People
Tobacco Use
Consumed any smokeless or smoking tobacco product at least once 30 days prior to the survey.- -- Male (13-15) %
- -- Female (13-15) %
- Year: No data.
- Source: WHO
Policy & Legislation
The purpose of the Child and Youth Promotion Act (2011) is to promote work with young people and help to ensure that they are encouraged in their physical and mental wellbeing and are able to develop into responsible adults who are integrated into the community.
The law is described by the “Child and youth policy in Switzerland“ (2013) fact sheet as being a “policy of protection, promotion and participation”.
According to the Youth Policy Strategy (2008), eight cantons have independent youth laws and a further nine cantons have youth-specific provisions in other acts.
The Strategy includes information on the development and challenges of youth policy, a situational analysis and measures for evaluation.
Public Institutions
(ministry, department or office) that is primarily responsible for youth?
The Youth Policy Strategy (2008) highlights that while the federal government has a role to play in youth policy, primary responsibility for implementation lies with the cantons and municipalities.
Youth and Representation
The SNYC coordinates a series of projects including a training programme on physical and mental health, a project supporting migrant minors, and the “Youth Rep” scheme, which sends three young representatives to the UN. The SNYC also engages in political advocacy work on policy positions determined by members.
Budget & Spending
- % of GDP
- % of gov. expenditure
Source: World Bank
Gaps indicate missing data from the original data source. (Accessed August 2013).
Additional Background
By international standards, the general conditions are very favourable for young people growing up in Switzerland. Current research confirms a positive image of young people. The study on “Values and Life Opportunities in Transition” in the Swiss Youth Survey series comes to the conclusion that young Swiss men and women continue to be an age group with persistently positive and realistic orientations. The majority of young people shows a high level of satisfaction and strives for realistically defined goals in life. Their value orientations are relatively constant and stable, and they have changed very little compared to the past. A second study, the COCON Swiss Children and Youth Survey studied the development of social competence in the adolescent period and found that social competences such as compassion, acceptance of responsibility and willingness to achieve are very well developed among young people in Switzerland; in this context, significant factors are a trusting relationship between parents and child as well as extracurricular spaces of learning and experiences.