The composition of the sector according to the Federal Statistical Office

Read the PDF edition (2 pages)

The statistics published in November 2025 are not confined to a single overall figure. They describe the distribution of value added between the cantons and between categories of goods, which makes it possible to situate Geneva within the Swiss whole and to measure the specialisation of each hub. Geneva produces 58.4 per cent of the sector’s value added, Zug 27 per cent, Vaud 6.5 per cent, Ticino 3.6 per cent and Zurich 2.3 per cent: two cantons thus account for around 85 per cent of the measured activity.¹

The breakdown by goods confirms the predominance of energy: fuels and related products account for 41.5 per cent of value added, minerals and metals for 33 per cent, cereals, tobacco, seeds and animal feed for 6.4 per cent and chemical products for 5.2 per cent. These proportions match the description of the Geneva houses given in Chapter II of this Part, where oil and metals dominate, while agricultural commodities, historically the first sector in Geneva with Cargill and André, now occupy a more modest place in the measured value added.

The scope adopted deserves to be recalled whenever these figures are cited. The Office limited its survey to the “core” of the sector, that is, to companies whose principal activity is trading, leaving outside its scope the related services: shipping, bank financing, inspection, insurance and specialised logistics. The cluster described in Part G is therefore broader than the branch measured. The two notions should accordingly not be confused in public debate. This is also the reason why the estimates of the professional associations, which reason in terms of an ecosystem, regularly exceed the official figures.

Notes

1. Swiss Confederation, press release “La valeur ajoutée du négoce de matières premières a atteint 19,2 milliards de francs en 2024” (The value added of commodity trading reached CHF 19.2 billion in 2024) (admin.ch): value added of around CHF 19.2 billion in 2024, or 2.3 per cent of Switzerland’s total value added; cantonal distribution — Geneva 58.4 per cent, Zug 27 per cent, Vaud 6.5 per cent, Ticino 3.6 per cent, Zurich 2.3 per cent; distribution by goods — fuels and related products 41.5 per cent, minerals and metals 33 per cent, cereals, tobacco, seeds and animal feed 6.4 per cent, chemical products 5.2 per cent; first statistical exercise of this kind, mandated by the Federal Council, limited to the “core” of the sector, namely companies whose principal activity is trading, to the exclusion of the related services of transport, financing and specialised logistics. ↩

For general information only. This article does not constitute legal or tax advice, does not replace advice on an individual case and creates no lawyer-client relationship. It reflects the legal position as of September 2025.