DATENANALYSE - Zug enteilt, Zürich stagniert – das zeigt ein neues Wirtschafts-Ranking der Kantone

A new economic ranking from the Swiss Federal Office of Statistics reveals surprising insights into the wealth and growth of Switzerland's cantons. Once a land known for its overall prosperity, the data shows significant disparities between cantons, with some experiencing much slower growth than the rest.

The methodology behind the ranking has been revised, using a bottom-up approach that calculates cantonal GDP directly from data of local companies, rather than estimating from regional data. This approach has led to substantial shifts in rankings.

Basel-Stadt, for example, shows a 30% higher GDP than previously calculated, largely due to the better visibility of its pharmaceutical industry contributions. Genève and Zug also see their GDPs revised upwards by nearly 50%. The key drivers are trade firms like foreign commodity dealers, which generate high value despite employing few people.

Some cantons like Schaffhausen and Neuenburg surprisingly rise in the rankings, with Schaffhausen seeing a 50% increase and Neuenburg a 46% boost, attributed to its strong focus on high-value industries like watchmaking and microtechnology. Zürich, despite its reputation as a Swiss economic hub, only sees a modest 2% increase in GDP per capita, placing it at rank 6.

Neighboring Zürich and Basel-Stadt lead the rankings with per capita GDPs of 318,000 and 300,000 Swiss francs respectively, indicating a widening gap between these two top performers and the rest of the country. Neuenburg ranks 5th with 143,000 francs per capita, while Geneva is 3rd at 165,000 francs. The western part of Switzerland, including Geneva, Waadt, and Neuenburg, emerges as the economic powerhouse of the country.

In contrast, cantons like Uri and Appenzell Ausserrhoden, with per capita GDPs of just 55,000 francs each, show the least economic vitality. The data, though provisional, suggests a Switzerland where economic growth has been notably uneven, with Zug, Basel-Stadt, and Schaffhausen leading the pack in per capita GDP growth over the past decade.