Income Distribution Charting-Tool

In the tool below, you can generate two types of graphs that provide descriptive representations of a variety of columns in our dataset.

The dataset is a linkage of the WiSiER project data with additional data sources which optimize the data for welfare analyses and supplement income information at the lower end of the distribution. These are …

  • Individual premium reduction data,
  • scholarships and
  • other canton-specific means-tested benefits
  • Tax amounts of the communal, cantonal and direct federal tax.

For the analyses, we have data from six cantons (Aargau, Bern, Lucerne, St. Gallen, Valais and Geneva). The situation is represented for about 3.4 million people, which corresponds to about 40% of the CH population.

In the drop down menus you can select the column (Variable) to be displayed and the plot type. In addition, you can decide whether the data is displayed with an OECD equivalence scaling (Äquivalenzzskalierung) or without (Dossierträger). The last selector also gives you the option of displaying the column stratified by canton or by “Rentner ja/nein” which expresses whether the respective household consists exclusively of persons over 65 (men) or 64 (women).

Note that not all combinations of features are available. For technical questions or questions about the data, feel free to contact the inequalities team.

Histogram

This plot type shows a simple histogram of the selected variable. Note that the x-axis is log-scaled by default because most distributions are strongly right-skewed.

Percentile-Plot

This plot type first divides the population into percentiles. As a basis, we use an income definition that aggregates all taxable incomes and also takes into account pensions, private transfers and insurance benefits. The bars show the variable mean of the respective population group, e.g. the leftmost bar shows the situation for the lowest-income hundredth of the population, the rightmost bar for the top 1% earners. The 50 on the x-axis represents the situation of a median citizen.

(created September 2021)