The "burden" of Swiss public debt: Lessons from research and options for the future

CEPR Policy Insight No 101

Cédric Tille

The Swiss Confederation?s finances are in an excellent shape. The Federal government?s debt stands at only 13.2% in GDP in 2018 and the yields are negative across the curve. This represents a striking contrast to the situation of rising debt in the 1990?s that led the country to adopt a debt brake rule. While most advanced economies experienced deficits over the last decade, Switzerland instead paid back nearly a quarter of its public debt.