World Bank Enterprise Survey 2025
Switzerland, 2025 - 2026
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Reference ID
CHE_2025_WBES_v01_M
Producer(s)
World Bank Group (WBG)
Collection(s)
Metadata
Created on
Apr 14, 2026
Last modified
Apr 14, 2026
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Identification
Survey ID number
CHE_2025_WBES_v01_M
Title
World Bank Enterprise Survey 2025
Country/Economy
| Name | Country code |
|---|---|
| Switzerland | CHE |
Study type
Enterprise Survey [en/oth]
Series Information
As part of its strategic goal of building a climate for investment, job creation, and sustainable growth, the World Bank has promoted improving business environments as a key strategy for development, which has led to a systematic effort in collecting enterprise data across countries. The Enterprise Surveys are an ongoing World Bank project in collecting both objective data based on firms' experiences and enterprises' perception of the environment in which they operate.
An Enterprise Survey is a firm-level survey of a representative sample of an economy's private sector. Firm-level surveys have been conducted since 1998 by different units within the World Bank. Since 2005-2006, most data collection efforts have been centralized within the Enterprise Analysis Unit. The Enterprise Surveys are conducted across all geographic regions and cover small, medium, and large companies. The surveys are administered to a representative sample of firms in the non-agricultural formal private economy. Data are used to create indicators that benchmark the quality of the business and investment climate across countries.
The World Bank Enterprise Surveys (WBES) collect both objective data based on firms’ day-to-day experiences, and perceptions of enterprises regarding the business environment in which they operate.
An Enterprise Survey is a firm-level survey of a representative sample of an economy's private sector. Firm-level surveys have been conducted since 1998 by different units within the World Bank. Since 2005-2006, most data collection efforts have been centralized within the Enterprise Analysis Unit. The Enterprise Surveys are conducted across all geographic regions and cover small, medium, and large companies. The surveys are administered to a representative sample of firms in the non-agricultural formal private economy. Data are used to create indicators that benchmark the quality of the business and investment climate across countries.
The World Bank Enterprise Surveys (WBES) collect both objective data based on firms’ day-to-day experiences, and perceptions of enterprises regarding the business environment in which they operate.
Abstract
The World Bank Enterprise Survey (WBES) is a firm-level survey of a representative sample of an economy's private sector. The surveys cover a broad range of topics related to the business environment including access to finance, corruption, infrastructure, competition, and performance.
Kind of Data
Sample survey data [ssd]
Unit of Analysis
The primary sampling unit of the study is the establishment. An establishment is a physical location where business is carried out and where industrial operations take place or services are provided. A firm may be composed of one or more establishments. For example, a brewery may have several bottling plants and several establishments for distribution. For the purposes of this survey an establishment must make its own financial decisions and have its own financial statements separate from those of the firm. An establishment must also have its own management and control over its payroll.
Scope
Notes
The 2025 Switzerland World Bank Enterprise Survey covered the following topics:
- Firm/ establishment profile
- Infrastructure and services
- Sales and supplies
- Commercial disputes
- Management practices
- Degree of competition
- Innovation
- Land and permits
- Green economy
- Finance
- Business-Government relations
- Business environment
- Labor
- Performance
Coverage
Geographic Coverage
National
Universe
All formal (i.e., registered) private sector establishments (with at least 1% private ownership) and with at least five employees. In terms of sectoral criteria, all manufacturing businesses (ISIC Rev 4. codes 10-33) are eligible; for services businesses, those corresponding to the ISIC Rev 4 codes 41-43, 45-47, 49-53, 55-56, 58, 61-62, 69-75, 79, and 95 are included in the Enterprise Surveys. Cooperatives and collectives are excluded from the Enterprise Surveys. All eligible establishments must be registered with the registration agency (Registre du Commerce, Handelsregister, Registro di Commercio in Switzerland). The universe table is the total number of eligible establishments, and the table is partitioned by the stratification groups (industry classification, establishment size, and subnational region) in a country.
Note: The universe table can be found in Table 1 of "The Switzerland 2025 World Bank Enterprise Survey Implementation Report".
Note: The universe table can be found in Table 1 of "The Switzerland 2025 World Bank Enterprise Survey Implementation Report".
Producers and sponsors
Primary investigators
| Name |
|---|
| World Bank Group (WBG) |
Funding Agency/Sponsor
| Name | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| World Bank Group | WBG |
Sampling
Sampling Procedure
The WBES use stratified random sampling, where the population of establishments is first separated into non-overlapping groups, called strata, and then respondents are selected through simple random sampling from each stratum. The detailed methodology is provided in the Sampling Note (https://www.enterprisesurveys.org/content/dam/enterprisesurveys/documents/methodology/Sampling_Note-Consolidated-2-16-22.pdf). Stratified random sampling has several advantages over simple random sampling. In particular, it:
- produces unbiased estimates of the whole population or universe of inference, as well as at the levels of stratification
- ensures representativeness by including observations in all of those categories
- produces more precise estimates than simple random sampling for a given sample size or budget allocation, and
- may reduce implementation costs by splitting the population into convenient subdivisions.
The WBES typically use three levels of stratification: industry classification, establishment size, and subnational region (used in combination). Starting in 2022, the WBES bases the industry classification on ISIC Rev. 4 (with earlier surveys using ISIC Rev. 3.1). For regional coverage within a country, the WBES has national coverage.
Note: For detailed sampling methodology, refer to the Sampling Structure section in "The Switzerland 2025 World Bank Enterprise Survey Implementation Report".
- produces unbiased estimates of the whole population or universe of inference, as well as at the levels of stratification
- ensures representativeness by including observations in all of those categories
- produces more precise estimates than simple random sampling for a given sample size or budget allocation, and
- may reduce implementation costs by splitting the population into convenient subdivisions.
The WBES typically use three levels of stratification: industry classification, establishment size, and subnational region (used in combination). Starting in 2022, the WBES bases the industry classification on ISIC Rev. 4 (with earlier surveys using ISIC Rev. 3.1). For regional coverage within a country, the WBES has national coverage.
Note: For detailed sampling methodology, refer to the Sampling Structure section in "The Switzerland 2025 World Bank Enterprise Survey Implementation Report".
Response Rate
Overall survey response rate was 9.4%.
Weighting
Since the WBES uses stratified random sampling, individual observations should be properly weighted when making inferences about the population, since unweighted estimates are biased unless sample sizes are proportional to the size of each stratum. For each WBES, special care is given to correctly compute sampling weights. Whenever the Universe is used to draw the sample (i.e., Sampling Frame is the same as the Universe) it is imperative to accurately adjust the universe within each stratum to account for the presence of ineligible establishments (e.g., the establishment discontinued businesses, or is deemed ineligible due to its business activity or having fewer than five employees). Proper treatment of panel establishments is also crucial. Details about how the WBES sampling weights are calculated are given in the Sampling Note section of "The Switzerland 2025 World Bank Enterprise Survey Implementation Report".
Survey instrument
Questionnaires
The standard WBES questionnaire covers several topics regarding the business environment and business performance. These topics include general establishment characteristics, infrastructure, sales and supplies, trade, management practices, competition, innovation, capacity, land and permits, finance, business-government relations, exposure to bribery, labor, and performance. Information about the general structure of the questionnaire is available in the Enterprise Surveys Manual and Guide. (https://www.enterprisesurveys.org/content/dam/enterprisesurveys/documents/methodology/Enterprise-Surveys-Manual-and-Guide.pdf).
Methodology notes
The WBES datafiles are organized in ways that reflect the corresponding questionnaire. The variables that are standard across countries have the first letter in their name correspond to the questionnaire section where the variable belongs in the questionnaire, i.e., a1 denotes section A. All variables are numeric with the exception of those variables with an “x” at the end of their names. The suffix “x” denotes that the variable is alpha-numeric. The variables that are country or region specific are generally named using a prefix in capital letters. These country-specific variables are generally not available beyond the specific country or region where they were implemented. For the Switzerland 2025 WBES, these variables use prefix “CHE”.
The WBES datafiles contain two establishment identifiers, idstd and id. The former is a global unique identifier of each establishment, while the latter is unique identifier within each survey. The variable idstd can be used to match the WBES establishment one-to-one across databases. The variables wweak, wmedian, and wstrong corresponding to sampling weights based on, respectively, weak, median, and strong assumptions about eligibility (see Section III.6 of "The Switzerland 2025 World Bank Enterprise Survey Implementation Report"). The variable strata corresponds to the stratum of each observation.
Additionally, the WBES datafiles contain many standard variables. The variable d1a2__v4 denotes the main activity of the establishment, as obtained during the WBES interview, coded in the four-digit ISIC Rev. 4. Users should note that this activity may differ from the industry classification given in the Sampling Frame, a4a. Users are generally advised to use industry categories based on the realized information in d1a2_v4. Additional sampling information is contained in variables a2 (region) and a6a (size). The variable panel identifies panel establishments, i.e., those that participated in the Switzerland 2025 WBES. The combination of a4a, a2, a6a, and panel forms stratum of each establishment, which is contained in variable strata.
The last complete fiscal year for each establishment is contained in variables a20m (last month of last complete fiscal year) and a20y (last complete fiscal year).
Note that when an entry in the WBES database is empty, this means that the question was not asked to the corresponding respondent. This happens when the question is deemed inapplicable, due to skip patterns or other reasons.
The WBES datafiles contain two establishment identifiers, idstd and id. The former is a global unique identifier of each establishment, while the latter is unique identifier within each survey. The variable idstd can be used to match the WBES establishment one-to-one across databases. The variables wweak, wmedian, and wstrong corresponding to sampling weights based on, respectively, weak, median, and strong assumptions about eligibility (see Section III.6 of "The Switzerland 2025 World Bank Enterprise Survey Implementation Report"). The variable strata corresponds to the stratum of each observation.
Additionally, the WBES datafiles contain many standard variables. The variable d1a2__v4 denotes the main activity of the establishment, as obtained during the WBES interview, coded in the four-digit ISIC Rev. 4. Users should note that this activity may differ from the industry classification given in the Sampling Frame, a4a. Users are generally advised to use industry categories based on the realized information in d1a2_v4. Additional sampling information is contained in variables a2 (region) and a6a (size). The variable panel identifies panel establishments, i.e., those that participated in the Switzerland 2025 WBES. The combination of a4a, a2, a6a, and panel forms stratum of each establishment, which is contained in variable strata.
The last complete fiscal year for each establishment is contained in variables a20m (last month of last complete fiscal year) and a20y (last complete fiscal year).
Note that when an entry in the WBES database is empty, this means that the question was not asked to the corresponding respondent. This happens when the question is deemed inapplicable, due to skip patterns or other reasons.
Data collection
Dates of Data Collection
| Start | End |
|---|---|
| 2025-01 | 2026-03 |
Data Collection Notes
The detailed information on the WBES methodology and data collection is provided in the Enterprise Surveys Manual and Guide (https://www.enterprisesurveys.org/content/dam/enterprisesurveys/documents/methodology/Enterprise-Surveys-Manual-and-Guide.pdf). The interviews for the Switzerland 2025 WBES were conducted between January 2025 and March 2026. The interviews were conducted in the following languages: German, French, Italian and English. For monetary variables, the currency was Swiss Franc (CHF).
Apart from the participation and call-back challenges that are typical of firm-level surveys, the Switzerland 2025 WBES faced additional complexities in securing interviews. These challenges were more pronounced in the Swiss context, where firms often require additional reassurance regarding the credibility, purpose, and confidentiality of the study before agreeing to participate. Consequently, the data collection process required sustained follow-up
The fieldwork for the Switzerland 2025 WBES was implemented by Tameo Impact Fund Solutions.
Apart from the participation and call-back challenges that are typical of firm-level surveys, the Switzerland 2025 WBES faced additional complexities in securing interviews. These challenges were more pronounced in the Swiss context, where firms often require additional reassurance regarding the credibility, purpose, and confidentiality of the study before agreeing to participate. Consequently, the data collection process required sustained follow-up
The fieldwork for the Switzerland 2025 WBES was implemented by Tameo Impact Fund Solutions.
Access policy
Citation requirements
The World Bank Group. Switzerland - World Bank Enterprise Survey (WBES) 2025, Ref. CHE_2025_WBES_v01_M. Dataset downloaded from https://www.enterprisesurveys.org/en/data on [date].
Disclaimer and copyrights
Disclaimer
The user of the data acknowledges that the original collector of the data, the authorized distributor of the data, and the relevant funding agency bear no responsibility for use of the data or for interpretations or inferences based upon such uses.
Contacts
Contacts
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Enterprise Analysis Unit | World Bank Group | enterprisesurveys@worldbank.org |
Metadata production
DDI Document ID
DDI_CHE_2025_WBES_v01_M_WB
Producers
| Name | Abbreviation | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Development Data Group | DECDG | World Bank Group | Documentation of the survey |
Date of Metadata Production
2026-04-13
Metadata version
DDI Document version
Version 01 (April 2026)