Nowhere in Europe Do Parents Pay More for Childcare
A couple with two full average wages pays a net 28 % of the average wage for a childcare place in Switzerland, more than in any other European country in the OECD's 2023 comparison.
Every year the OECD compares what a childcare place actually costs parents after every subsidy and tax break, measured against the average wage. In the model scenario with two full-time working parents and two children, Switzerland clearly tops the ranking of twelve compared countries. Only the US and New Zealand impose a heavier burden worldwide. This study puts the Swiss number in context, shows the trend since 2004, and checks whether the finding still holds under a second, more honest scenario.
Summary
The OECD regularly measures what childcare actually costs parents in its member countries, net: the gross price of a childcare place minus every subsidy, voucher, and tax relief, expressed as a percentage of the national average wage. In the 2023 model scenario, a couple with two full-time working parents (each at 100 % of the average wage) and two children aged 2 and 3 attending full-time centre-based care, Switzerland pays a net 28 % of the average wage . Among the twelve compared countries, including Germany, France, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States, Sweden, Denmark, Spain, and Poland, that is the highest value. Even widening the query to the OECD's full coverage of 39 countries and territories changes nothing: no European country ranks above Switzerland.
Worldwide, Switzerland is not quite at the very top, but close. Only the United States (40 %) and New Zealand (35 %) charge parents even more. At the other end of the scale sits a continent that makes childcare almost free: Germany (1 %) and Italy (0 %) form the floor together with Austria (3 %) and Sweden (5 %). In between sit Denmark (11 %), Poland (9 %), Spain (8 %), France (15 %), the Netherlands (26 %), and the United Kingdom (25 %): Switzerland tops them all.
Two caveats belong in any honest reading of this figure. First, the finding holds for the model scenario with two full wages: if the second parent earns only 67 % instead of 100 % of the average wage, Switzerland's burden drops to 19 %, and the Netherlands (21 %) and the United Kingdom (25 %) then rank higher. Second, the trend since 2004 was not linear: from a historic high of 58 %, the Swiss value fell to 24 % by 2015, then rose again to 28 %. Switzerland is markedly cheaper today than twenty years ago, but the direction has reversed since 2018.
The ranking: twelve countries, one undisputed leader
The OECD comparison puts twelve countries on the same footing: a couple, both parents working 100 % of the time, two children aged 2 and 3, full-time centre-based childcare, net of all benefits. Switzerland leads the ranking at 28 %, ahead of the Netherlands (26 %) and the United Kingdom (25 %). At the bottom, families in Germany (1 %) and Italy (0 %) pay almost nothing.
| # | Share of average wage | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States100/67 scenario: 40 % | 40 % |
| 2 | Switzerland100/67 scenario: 19 % | 28 % |
| 3 | Netherlands100/67 scenario: 21 % | 26 % |
| 4 | United Kingdom100/67 scenario: 25 % | 25 % |
| 5 | France100/67 scenario: 12 % | 15 % |
| 6 | Denmark100/67 scenario: 11 % | 11 % |
| 7 | Poland100/67 scenario: 9 % | 9 % |
| 8 | Spain100/67 scenario: 8 % | 8 % |
| 9 | Sweden100/67 scenario: 5 % | 5 % |
| 10 | Austria100/67 scenario: 3 % | 3 % |
| 11 | Germany100/67 scenario: 1 % | 1 % |
| 12 | Italy100/67 scenario: 0 % | 0 % |
OECD Net Childcare Costs (DF_NCC), 2023: couple, both at 100% of average wage, 2 children (aged 2 and 3), full-time centre-based care, net of all benefits. Subline: value under the 100/67 scenario (second parent at 67% of average wage). Switzerland tops all 12 compared countries. National flags: flagcdn.com, public-domain official flag designs.
The gap to neighbouring countries is striking: Austria (3 %) and Germany (1 %) sit more than 25 percentage points below Switzerland, our own calculation based on the rounded OECD figures, despite using the exact same standardised model scenario.
Europe only, without the US: Switzerland stays unbeaten
Remove the US, the only non-European country in the core comparison, and the picture stays the same: among the eleven European comparison countries, Switzerland still clearly leads at 28 %, ahead of the Netherlands (26 %) and the United Kingdom (25 %).
| # | Share of average wage | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Switzerland | 28 % |
| 2 | Netherlands | 26 % |
| 3 | United Kingdom | 25 % |
| 4 | France | 15 % |
| 5 | Denmark | 11 % |
| 6 | Poland | 9 % |
| 7 | Spain | 8 % |
| 8 | Sweden | 5 % |
| 9 | Austria | 3 % |
| 10 | Germany | 1 % |
| 11 | Italy | 0 % |
OECD Net Childcare Costs (DF_NCC), 2023, 100/100 scenario, excluding the US (the only non-European country in the 12-country core comparison). Switzerland leads at 28%, ahead of the Netherlands (26%) and the United Kingdom (25%). National flags: flagcdn.com, public-domain official flag designs.
Worldwide, only two countries are more expensive
Widen the query beyond the twelve deliberately compared countries to the OECD's full coverage, 39 countries and territories including the OECD average, and the picture barely changes: Switzerland remains unrivalled at the top of Europe. Worldwide, only the United States (40 %) and New Zealand (35 %) rank above Switzerland (28 %). One correction matters for accurate framing: the common shorthand «only the US is more expensive» is wrong, it overlooks New Zealand.
| Country | Share of average wage |
|---|---|
| United States | 40 % |
| New Zealand | 35 % |
| Switzerland | 28 % |
OECD Net Childcare Costs (DF_NCC), 2023, unfiltered query across full OECD coverage (39 areas incl. the OECD average), 100/100 scenario. No European country ranks above Switzerland: only the US and New Zealand do, worldwide.
For honesty: the 100/67 scenario does not confirm the top spot
The main scenario assumes two full wages. If the second parent realistically earns only 67 % of the average wage, for example on a part-time schedule, the picture changes substantially: Switzerland's burden falls from 28 % to 19 %, while the Netherlands (21 %) and the United Kingdom (25 %) stay higher. Switzerland drops to third place in this scenario.
| Country | 100/100 scenario | 100/67 scenario |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 40 % | 40 % |
| United Kingdom | 25 % | 25 % |
| Netherlands | 26 % | 21 % |
| Switzerland | 28 % | 19 % |
| France | 15 % | 12 % |
| Denmark | 11 % | 11 % |
| Poland | 9 % | 9 % |
| Spain | 8 % | 8 % |
| Sweden | 5 % | 5 % |
| Austria | 3 % | 3 % |
| Germany | 1 % | 1 % |
| Italy | 0 % | 0 % |
OECD Net Childcare Costs (DF_NCC), 2023. If the second parent earns only 67% instead of 100% of the average wage, Switzerland falls from 28% to 19%, and the Netherlands (21%) and the United Kingdom (25%) then rank higher. Switzerland's top position clearly only holds in the 100/100 scenario with two full wages.
This distinction does not contradict the headline finding, but it does show that «Europe's most expensive childcare» applies precisely to a dual-full-wage scenario, not to every family constellation.
The trend since 2004: a sharp decline, rising again since 2018
In 2004, Switzerland's childcare burden stood at 58 % of the average wage, more than double today's figure, and more than four times today's German value. It fell to a low of 24 % by 2015, likely helped by cantonal and municipal expansion programmes for childcare vouchers and subsidised places. Since then, the burden has climbed again, from 25 % (2018) to 28 % (2023).
OECD Net Childcare Costs (DF_NCC), Switzerland, 2004–2023, actual published survey years (no interpolation). More than halved from 58% (2004) to a low of 24% (2015), rising again since to 28% (2023).
The finding cannot be traced to a single cause, but the data support the reading that the expansion of the last twenty years has lost pace, while gross tariffs at individual daycare centres, as our study Bern Childcare Prices 2026 shows, are rising sharply in some cities.
Why Switzerland is so expensive
The main reason lies in the system, not the price level alone: childcare in Switzerland is not a national task but a municipal and cantonal one. Subsidised places and childcare vouchers exist, but they are regulated locally, heavily means-tested, and differ from one municipality to the next. There is no nationwide, uniform tariff system, unlike Germany or Sweden with their near-free or heavily subsidised public daycare systems. Parents can deduct part of the cost from their taxes (the UKibeG childcare deduction), but that changes little about the underlying net burden in the OECD comparison, which already accounts for exactly those deductions.
For many families, the arithmetic is ultimately simple: full daycare tariffs without municipal subsidy push costs up, while countries with national funding, such as Germany or Austria, spread the cost more broadly through taxes instead of charging parents directly.
Figures to quote
- A couple with two full average wages pays a net 28 % of the average wage for a childcare place in Switzerland, the highest value among twelve compared countries. (OECD Net Childcare Costs, DF_NCC, 2023)
- Worldwide, only the US (40 %) and New Zealand (35 %) rank above Switzerland (28 %), no European country does, even under full OECD coverage of 39 countries and territories. (OECD Net Childcare Costs, DF_NCC, 2023, unfiltered country query)
- In Germany, the same childcare place costs a net 1 % of the average wage, in Italy 0 %, a gap of 27 and 28 percentage points to Switzerland respectively. (OECD Net Childcare Costs, DF_NCC, 2023; gap is our own calculation)
- In 2004, Switzerland's childcare burden still stood at 58 % of the average wage, more than double today's figure; but since the 2015 low of 24 % it has risen again, to 28 % in 2023. (OECD Net Childcare Costs, DF_NCC, time series 2004 to 2023)
- If the second parent earns only 67 % instead of 100 % of the average wage, Switzerland's burden falls to 19 %, while the Netherlands (21 %) and the United Kingdom (25 %) rank higher: Switzerland's top position only holds in the dual-full-wage scenario. (OECD Net Childcare Costs, DF_NCC, 2023, 100/67 scenario)
Two models for childcare
Switzerland: Europe's most expensive childcare
- •28% of the average wage net, the highest value among twelve compared countries (OECD 2023)
- •Subsidies are regulated by municipalities and cantons, with no nationwide, uniform tariff system
- •Even in the 100/67 part-time second-earner scenario, still among the three most expensive countries (19%)
- •Rising again since the 2015 low of 24%, to 28% in 2023
Elsewhere: childcare as a public task
- •Germany (1%) and Italy (0%) charge parents almost nothing net
- •Austria (3%) and Sweden (5%) fund childcare broadly through taxes instead of parent fees
- •Denmark (11%) and Spain (8%) also sit far below the Swiss level
- •Even the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, more expensive than the rest of Europe in the 100/100 scenario, still stay below Switzerland
What this means for Swiss families
At 28 % of the average wage for a single childcare place, many families in Switzerland run the numbers on alternatives. For two or more children, or with irregular care hours, many parents instead hire a nanny or childminder directly. Clino handles the employment contract, social security registration, payroll, and accident insurance, for CHF 19.90 a month, in all 26 cantons. To work through the tax side of childcare costs, Clino's UKibeG calculator gives a canton-by-canton breakdown.
Register a nanny · Nanny salary calculator · Check the UKibeG tax deduction
Switzerland charges the highest price for childcare in Europe because it treats childcare as a private bill rather than a public task. Other countries chose the opposite, and every line of this table shows it.
Surprising findings
Not a European country, but New Zealand, is Switzerland's closest neighbour at the top
Anyone looking for Switzerland's most expensive peer usually looks to Europe. Wrongly: worldwide it is New Zealand (35 %) that comes closest to Switzerland (28 %). No European country sits between Switzerland and the two most expensive countries in the world, the United States (40 %) and New Zealand.
Switzerland was more than twice as expensive in 2004, but the trend has reversed since 2018
From 58 % in 2004, Switzerland's burden fell to 24 % by 2015, one of the strongest improvements in the OECD comparison. Since then it has risen again, to 28 % in 2023. The progress of the 2000s and early 2010s has not continued since 2018.
Even with a part-time second earner, Switzerland stays more expensive than nearly all of Europe
In the 100/67 scenario, Switzerland does lose the top spot, but only to the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Against the other nine compared countries, including France, Denmark, and Spain, Switzerland still remains more expensive. The robust result: in almost every realistic family scenario, Swiss parents pay more than most of their European neighbours.
More from the Childcare Report 2026
Sources
- OECD, Net Childcare Costs (DF_NCC), SDMX API, twelve-country query, 100/100 scenario (2023) — Switzerland additionally 2004 to 2023; sdmx.oecd.org, DSD_TAXBEN_NCC
- OECD, Net Childcare Costs (DF_NCC), SDMX API, twelve-country query, 100/67 scenario (2023) — Switzerland additionally 2004 to 2023; sdmx.oecd.org, DSD_TAXBEN_NCC
- OECD, Net Childcare Costs (DF_NCC), SDMX API, unfiltered query, full country coverage (2023) — 39 countries and territories including the OECD average, 100/100 scenario
- OECD Family Database, indicator PF3.4, Net Childcare Costs (2026) — definitions page; data.oecd.org/benwage/net-childcare-costs.htm
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