Obwalden

Obwalden is a small central Swiss canton of 39,879 residents, 23,792 jobs and 3,525 enterprises. GDP was CHF 2.9 billion in 2022 and grew by 4.4% in real terms, faster than the Swiss economy (+3.0%); GDP per head was CHF 74,902. Unemployment stood at 1.1% in August 2026, the fourth-lowest rate in Switzerland.

For its size, Obwalden has an unusually industrial profile. Machinery, electrical and vehicle engineering accounts for 8.3% of jobs, 3.2 times the national share and the second-highest concentration of any canton after Nidwalden, although employment in the sector fell by 11.3% between 2019 and 2024. The two best-known industrial names are maxon in Sachseln, which makes precision electric drives, and Leister in Sarnen, a specialist in plastics welding and hot-air tools. Construction (9.9%), hotels and restaurants (8.3%, with the resort of Engelberg) and agriculture (6.9%) are all well above the Swiss average.

KPMG puts Obwalden's maximum effective corporate tax rate at 12.74% for 2026 and its top income tax rate at 24.30%, both among the lowest in the country. In ValIndex's board-paralysis study, 19.7% of audited Obwalden companies show a succession risk, on a small sample.