A third of students in Switzerland have depression

A new study by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) has examined conditions at universities in Switzerland. The results found that an increasing number of university students have depression and a quarter report that they have been discriminated against.

Students in Switzerland are increasingly depressed

Switzerland is known to have some of the best universities in the world, and currently has over 276.000 students enrolled in higher education institutions. A new FSO report, “Study and living conditions at Swiss universities in 2024”, has examined several conditions at Swiss universities. 

According to the FSO report, the number of students experiencing symptoms of depression has risen between 2020 and 2024. In 2020, 23 percent of students reported having moderate to severe symptoms of depression. 

By 2024, this had risen 6 percentage points to 29 percent - almost a third of students. When compared to 18 to 35-year-old residents (i.e. people not in a Swiss university), the number is almost halved to 15 percent.

The study also found that the number of university students with chronic health problems has increased. In 2020, 16 percent of students said they were affected by a long-term health problem and by 2024, this had risen to 20 percent.

A quarter of students have experienced discrimination

For the first time, people studying in Switzerland were also asked about whether they had experienced discrimination at university. 25 percent reported that they have been discriminated against by “fellow students, lecturers or other individuals within the university”. 

The most common reasons for discrimination were nationality (6 percent), language or dialect (7 percent) and gender (8 percent). Women, students from other countries and people with health problems reported higher levels of discrimination.

Lastly, the study looked at students’ financial situations and found little change compared with previous years. The total monthly average income of a student was 2.282 Swiss francs, similar to that reported in 2020.