Entrepreneurship in Switzerland: Student activity
The entrepreneurial spirit of Swiss students is still below the international average. The majority do not dream of establishing a company.
The entrepreneurial spirit of students at specialized higher education schools (HES) and Swiss universities is still below the international average. According to a survey conducted in Switzerland on 5,145 students within the framework of the Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students' Survey 2023 (GUESSS), the majority of them have never seriously thought about establishing a business; their first aim is for a job in an SME or a large company after completing their studies.
Percentage of students wishing to establish a company, 2023 |
Country |
Immediately after end of studies (%) |
Five years after end of studies (%) |
| Indonesia |
44,3 |
62,2 |
| Nigeria |
43,1 |
60,8 |
| Guinea |
48,3 |
57,9 |
| Tunesia |
36,4 |
53,6 |
| Dominican Republic |
32,7 |
53,0 |
| Puerto Rico |
25,4 |
52,1 |
| Mexico |
22,7 |
51,8 |
| Paraguay |
37,8 |
51,3 |
| Colombia |
28,8 |
50,2 |
| Ukraine |
14,1 |
49,3 |
| Bolivia |
39,5 |
48,9 |
| Ecuador |
31,8 |
47,0 |
| Iran |
35,7 |
46,4 |
| Panama |
22,8 |
46,2 |
| Lithuania |
20,3 |
44,2 |
| Morocco |
17,8 |
42,2 |
| North Macedonia |
23,2 |
42,1 |
| Qatar |
18,2 |
41,7 |
| Russia |
20,0 |
41,5 |
| United Arab Emirates |
18,4 |
40,9 |
| Holland |
22,8 |
39,8 |
| Pakistan |
26,8 |
39,3 |
| Slovakia |
18,5 |
39,0 |
| Slovenia |
27,2 |
38,6 |
| Jordan |
24,1 |
38,4 |
| Liechtenstein |
16,9 |
37,9 |
| Bulgaria |
21,9 |
37,4 |
| Uruguay |
21,4 |
36,7 |
| Costa Rica |
14,4 |
35,6 |
| Argentina |
25,1 |
35,2 |
| Greece |
21,4 |
34,9 |
| Chile |
14,7 |
34,8 |
| Hungary |
13,8 |
32,9 |
| Italy |
16,1 |
31,7 |
| India |
14,0 |
31,4 |
| Canada |
11,6 |
31,4 |
| Saudi Arabia |
11,6 |
30,4 |
| Croatia |
13,9 |
30,1 |
| Czech Republic |
11,3 |
30,1 |
| AVERAGE |
15,7 |
30,0 |
| Kazakhstan |
19,9 |
28,5 |
| Sweden |
7,3 |
28,3 |
| Brazil |
14,7 |
26,2 |
| Portugal |
8,2 |
26,0 |
| Belgium |
9,4 |
25,8 |
| Iraq |
16,5 |
24,8 |
| England |
13,0 |
24,7 |
| Ireland |
10,0 |
23,6 |
| Spain |
12,3 |
22,7 |
| New Zealand |
6,2 |
20,8 |
| Austria |
6,9 |
20,5 |
| Germany |
7,8 |
20,1 |
| Switzerland |
4,8 |
18,1 |
| United States |
8,3 |
13,8 |
| Korea |
6,9 |
12,9 |
| Japan |
2,2 |
8,5 |
| China |
5,1 |
8,2 |
Source: International report of the Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students' Survey (GUESSS) (2023)
Note that these figures should be interpreted with caution. The 58 sample countries differ considerably in terms of size, number and types of participating universities, student demographics, etc. Nevertheless, “intentional founders” are particularly numerous in developing countries (especially in Latin American countries).
