Cyril Geistlich investigated who moves house in Switzerland and when. The study is based on individual and household register data from the Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO) covering the years 2013 to 2023, complemented by market data from Wüest Partner. The data were analyzed using a model based on LightGBM.
The strongest factor influencing the likelihood of moving is the age of the household. Young households move frequently, while households in midlife relocate less often. Larger households tend to stay put, whereas single-person households are the most mobile. People living in single-family homes are significantly less likely to move than households living in multi-family buildings. High housing prices and low vacancy rates do not trigger moves. On the contrary, they tend to discourage people from relocating.
The study was conducted as part of the Public Data Lab.