Political and planning pressures are mounting because the demographic shift has long been evident. The Federal Statistical Office reports that, for the first time, there will be more people aged 65 and older than those under 20 by the end of 2025. This transforms the issue of housing for the elderly into a concrete mandate for municipalities, property owners, and project developers to plan housing that can be adapted earlier.
The recently published Swiss Housing Study 2026 shows just how clearly the public allocates these responsibilities. Fifty-seven percent name the government and municipalities as the most important actors for self-determined housing in old age. Forty-four percent believe the real estate industry has a duty to provide intergenerational housing with appropriate services. Forty-one percent place the responsibility on the individuals concerned themselves, while families and relatives account for only 18 percent.
Flexibility Should Become a Construction Standard
The message for housing construction is clear. 84 percent of respondents want new buildings to be designed to be flexible and accessible from the outset. What is needed, therefore, is not a special segment just for the very elderly, but a housing standard that can accommodate families, people with disabilities, and older residents across various stages of life.
For developers and property owners, this shifts the conversation. Adaptability is moving from an added benefit to a basic requirement. Those who have to retrofit floor plans, access points, and residential services only after the fact risk higher renovation costs and missed market opportunities. Solutions integrated early on, on the other hand, can make it easier to move out of apartments that have become too small and help create a more diverse mix within the housing stock.
Biberist Illustrates the Cost Side
Biberist’s annual financial statements show just how directly municipalities are coming under financial pressure. There, funding for long-term care costs rose from 1,084,159.20 Swiss francs in 2020 to 2,162,276.95 Swiss francs in 2025. At the same time, outpatient nursing care costs rose from 593,822.23 to 1,162,360.57 Swiss francs. Together, these two items climbed from approximately 1.68 million Swiss francs to approximately 3.32 million Swiss francs within five years.
This is precisely why supported and assisted living also takes on a fiscal dimension. Seventy-six percent of respondents expect that the widespread construction of housing with integrated on-call assistance and care services will ease the burden on the healthcare system. Whether this approach will work everywhere remains to be seen. For municipalities, however, this expectation is already a warning sign today, because rising care costs and a lack of suitable housing ultimately end up in the same budget.
Neighborhood Becomes Part of the Product
The study also links the topic to the social environment. 68 percent see mixed-income neighborhoods primarily as fostering mutual support, everyday assistance, and intergenerational exchange. Another 54 percent associate such housing concepts with less loneliness in old age and greater security through social integration. Anyone planning new housing projects must therefore not only provide living space but also consider the surrounding environment that makes independent living sustainable for longer.
