Burglaries rise in Switzerland, with winter months the busiest

AXA recorded more burglaries per insured household in 2025, extending a rise that has continued since 2020. The insurer counted 4% more break-ins than in 2024 and 15% more than in 2022, according to figures published on October 22, 2026. The trend was strongest during the darker part of the year, when burglars can take advantage of longer evenings and earlier nightfall. AXA said the move to winter time, and the earlier onset of darkness that follows, contributed to the increase. From October through March, the company recorded 45% more offences than during the summer months. December was the busiest month, followed by November. The pattern brings seasonal timing into focus for Swiss households as the nights draw in. AXA’s figures also show wide differences between cantons, while the cost of individual claims has climbed to a record level.

October to March brought 45% more burglaries than the summer months in AXA’s records for last year. December led the monthly tally, with November next. AXA links the seasonal pattern partly to the shift to winter time, which brings darkness earlier in the evening. The dates around the holidays also stand out: the insurer recorded more than twice as many burglaries on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve as on ordinary days. Break-ins were least frequent from April to June. The figures trace a marked rhythm across the year, with incidents rising through the darker months and falling in late spring. For insurers, this pattern is visible in the timing of claims; for residents, it places the winter period and the year-end holidays among the busiest points in AXA’s burglary calendar. These figures cover AXA’s insured households and reflect the company’s own records.

Geneva recorded 8.4 burglaries per 1,000 households a year between 2019 and 2025, more than twice the Swiss average of 3.3. AXA’s figures show a sharp regional spread. Vaud, Basel-City, Basel-Country, Jura, Solothurn and Neuchâtel also had above-average burglary rates. The lowest rates were in central and south-eastern Switzerland. Uri and Graubünden each recorded one burglary per 1,000 households per year during the period, while Glarus recorded 1.2. The comparison shows that the national increase sits alongside very different local patterns. Geneva’s rate was substantially higher than the countrywide figure, while the recorded rates in Uri and Graubünden were less than a third of the Swiss average. AXA’s canton figures cover the years 2019 to 2025, offering a longer regional view than its year-on-year comparison for 2025.

AXA paid out more than CHF 22 million for burglaries in 2025, a 9% increase on the previous year and 60% more than three years earlier. The average claim rose to a record more than CHF 7,000, up 30% over three years. AXA points to the growing value and cost of items such as smartphones, laptops and e-bikes. It also recorded a rise in major claims, defined as cases costing more than CHF 30,000. Since 2023, the insurer has seen around twice as many such cases each year as in previous years. AXA experts suspect the complex offences may point to organised structures, and say professionally executed burglaries and organised crime have increased significantly. The higher average claim and the rise in major cases mean the financial impact has grown alongside the number of incidents, adding pressure to the claims bill paid by the insurer.