What was Switzerland worried about in 2025?

UBS has released its Worry Barometer 2025, providing an overview of what people in Switzerland were most concerned about in 2025.

UBS Worry Barometer 2025

Over the past 50 years, the well-known Swiss bank has released the yearly UBS Worry Barometer, revealing “the issues that matter the most to the people of Switzerland”. This year, UBS collaborated with Swiss research institute gfs.bern to survey 2.190 voters in Switzerland. 

Sabine Keller-Busse, President of UBS Switzerland, said that the UBS Worry Barometer helps provide an overview “regarding society, the economy and politics, as well as highlighting where [voters] see the greatest need for action.”

2025 saw a slight shift in what was on people's minds in the alpine nation. International events and conflicts became more prominent, while unemployment “is hardly mentioned as a concern anymore,” continues Keller-Busse. 

Health issues, environment and pensions Switzerland’s biggest concerns

Survey respondents were asked to select the five most important problems Switzerland faces. Health issues (45 percent) came out on top as the biggest worry, as health insurance premiums are set to rise again in 2026.

Environmental protection and climate change (31 percent) were the second biggest concerns for survey participants. Events such as the landslide in the Swiss town of Blatten earlier this year are increasingly being linked to global warming.

The third most significant concern for Switzerland was pensions and retirement (30 percent), which “continue to be perceived as an unresolved problem” despite the 13th OASI pension being introduced, according to the UBS Worry Barometer.

Some topics increased in prominence in this year’s UBS Worry Barometer. 30 percent of respondents said immigration and the free movement of people were a concern, which was a 4 percentage point increase compared to 2024. 

Switzerland’s relationship with Europe was also on the minds of 25 percent of people, a 7 percentage point increase compared to last year. US President Donald Trump, the war in Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East also saw noticeable increases when compared to last year.

Lastly, some topics were less important in 2025, including energy supply, inflation and personal safety, which all received fewer mentions from survey respondents. 

Top worries among people in Switzerland in 2025

Here are the top 10 worries in Switzerland in 2025:

1. Health issues, health insurance, health premiums (45 percent)
2. Environmental protection, climate change, environmental disasters (31 percent)
3. State pension (OASI), retirement provision (30 percent)
4. Foreign nationals, free movement of people, immigration (30 percent)
5. Refugees, asylum issues (27 percent)
6. Relationship with Europe, EU, framework agreement, access to the European market (25 percent)
7. Increased housing costs, rise in rental prices (24 percent)
8. Donald Trump as President of the United States (19 percent)
9. Energy issues (electricity supply, renewable energy/nuclear energy) (15 percent)
10. War in Ukraine (14 percent)

You can read the full UBS Worry Barometer 2025 report here.