Fundraising platform RaiseNow has revealed which Swiss cantons donate the most to charity, with Bern ranking in the top spot. The least charitable canton in Switzerland was revealed to be Canton Ticino.

German-speaking Switzerland donates more than French-speaking Switzerland

According to RaiseNow, people in Canton Bern donate 5,55 Swiss francs a year per capita, the most of any canton. On average, 16,6 percent of the population of Bern choose to donate to charitable services at home and abroad.

Behind Bern came Canton Aargau, St. Gallen, and Zurich. The city that donated the most per capita was Rapperswil-Jona, where an average of 6,13 Swiss francs is donated per resident every year. 

Out of people that do give to charity, people living in German-speaking regions were the most generous, giving 54,78 Swiss francs on average, while those in French-speaking parts of Switzerland donated 41,61 francs. Italian-speaking Switzerland, where salaries tend to be lower than in the rest of the country, donated the least, with people giving an average of 40,95 Swiss francs to charity each year. 

Swiss donating more to charity since COVID-19 pandemic

In 2020, donations in Switzerland surpassed two billion Swiss francs for the first time ever, with eight out of 10 households choosing to donate something during COVID. However, RaiseNow noted that the actual figure may be much higher, as the service only takes online donations into account.

Top 10 most generous cities in Switzerland

RaiseNow's report ranked the 10 most generous Swiss cities in terms of online donations, too. Here are the top 10:

• 1. Bern
• 2. Lucerne
• 3. Aarau
• 4. St. Gallen
• 5. Zurich
• 6. Schaffhausen
• 7. Chur
• 8. Winterthur
• 9. Baden
• 10. Zug

For the full ranking, or more information on the report's methodology, visit RaiseNow's website.