Demographics of Switzerland
Encyclopedia
This article is about the demographic
features of the population
of Switzerland
, including population density
, ethnicity
, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
Switzerland has a population of 7.8 million as of 2010. Its population has quadrupled over the period 1800 to 1990 (average doubling time
95 years). Population growth was steepest in the period after World War II
(1.4% per annum during 1950-1970, doubling time 50 years), it slowed down during the 1970s to 1980s and has since again picked up to 1% during the 2000s (doubling time 70 years).
More than 75% of the population live in the central plain
, which stretches between the Alps
and the Jura Mountains
and from Geneva
in the southwest to the Rhine River and Lake Constance
in the northeast. Resident foreigners and temporary foreign workers make up about 20% of the population.
Encompassing the Central Alps, Switzerland
sits at the crossroads of several major European cultures. Its population includes a two-thirds majority of Alemannic German
speakers and a one-quarter Latin
minority (French
, Italian
and Romansh), see linguistic geography of Switzerland
. 10% of the population natively speak an immigrant language.
Switzerland consistently ranks high on quality of life
indices, including per capita income, concentration of computer and internet
usage per capita, insurance coverage per individual, and health care rates. For these and many other reasons, such as the four languages, it serves as an excellent test market for businesses hoping to introduce new products into Europe.
Stefano Franscini
, who evaluated the data of the first census all by himself after Parliament failed to provide the necessary funds. The census is now being conducted by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office, which makes most results available on its website.
Collected data includes population data (citizenship, place of residence, place of birth, position in household, number of children, religion, languages, education, profession, place of work, etc.), household data (number of individuals living in the household, etc.), accommodation data (surface area, amount of rent paid, etc.) and building data (geocoordinates, time of construction, number of floors, etc.). Participation is compulsory and reached 99.87% of the population in 2000.
Since 2010, the population census has been carried out and analysed annually in a new format by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). In order to ease the burden on the population, the information is primarily drawn from population registers and supplemented by sample surveys. Only a small proportion of the population (about 5%) are surveyed in writing or by telephone. The first reference day for the new census was 31 December 2010.
of ca. 90 years. In the later 20th century, the growth rate has fallen below 0.7% (1980s: 0.64%; 1990s: 0.65%), and in the 2000s it has risen again slightly (2000–2006: 0.69%), mostly due to immigration. In 2007 the population grew at a much higher 1.1% rate, again mostly due to immigration. For 2008, the population grew 1.6%, a level not seen since the early 1960s.
Total fertility rate
p=preliminary
Data: Swiss Federal Statistics Office
As population growth curbs, the percentage of elderly people increases. In July 2006, the Swiss Federal Office of Statistics published a projection estimating that by 2050, one in three adult Swiss will be of retirement age (as opposed to one in five in 2005). Total population was projected to stagnate in 2036 at around 8.1 million and fall slightly to 8 million in 2050. The predicted age structure for 2050 is:
Data: Swiss Federal Statistics Office 2007
stands at 79.7 years for men and 84.4 years for women, for an overall average of 82.1 years for the populace as a whole.
In 2007, 1.45 million resident foreigners (85.4%, or 19.1% of the total population), had European citizenship (Italian: 295,507; German: 224,324; citizens of Serbia and Montenegro: 196,078; Portuguese: 193,299; French: 83,129; Turkish: 75,382; Spanish: 66,519, Macedonian: 60,509; Bosnian: 41,654; Croatian: 38,144; Austrian: 36,155; British: 32,207). ; 109,113 residents were from Asia; 69,010 from the Americas; 66,599 from Africa; and 3,777 from Oceania.
In 2004, 35,700 people acquired Swiss citizenship according to Swiss nationality law
, a figure slightly larger than that of the previous year (35,424), and four times larger than the 1990 figure (8,658). About a third of those naturalized are from a successor state of Former Yugoslavia
: 7,900 Serbia-Montenegro, 2,400 Bosnia-Herzegowina, 2,000 Macedonia, 1,600 Croatia. 4,200 were from Italy, 3,600 from Turkey, 1,600 from Sri Lanka, 1,200 from Portugal, and 1,200 from France.
The yearly rate of naturalization has quintupled over the 1990s and 2000s, from roughly 9,000 to 45,000.
Relative to the population of resident foreigners, this amounts to an increase from 8‰ in 1990 to 27‰ in 2007, or relative to the number of Swiss citizens from 1.6‰ in 1990 to 7.3‰ in 2007.
The following table shows the historical development of the rate of naturalization.
In recent decades, many Portuguese
and Ukrainians
from Ukraine represent large immigrant communities in the country. Tamil refugees fleeing from war in Sri Lanka are the largest number of Asians, while Albanians
and other former Yugoslavians continue to grow in number. Switzerland is also the second largest European country in number of acceptance of Iraqi refugees
fleeing from the violence in Iraq
since 2003, but behind Great Britain
, Germany
and Sweden
in the number of Iraqis
taken residence for a European country.
In 2004, 623,100 Swiss citizens (8.9%) lived abroad, the largest group in France
(166,200), followed by the USA (71,400) and Germany
(70,500). (see Swiss diaspora).
In 2000, 5.78 million residents (79.2%, compared to 93.8% in 1980) were Christian
(Roman Catholic 41.8%, Protestant 35.3%, Orthodox
1.8%). 809,800 (11.1%, compared to 3.8% in 1980) were without any religious affiliation. 310,800 (4.3%) were Muslim
(compared to 0.9% in 1980), 17,900 (0.2%) were Jewish.
These numbers are based on membership in a congregation, not on direct statements of belief. The 2005 Eurobarometer poll found 48% of Swiss residents to be theist, 39% expressing belief in "some sort of spirit or life force", 9% atheist and 4 % said that they "don't know".
The four national languages of Switzerland are German
, French
, Italian
and Romansh.
Native speakers number about 64% (4.6 million) for German (mostly Swiss German
dialects), 20% (1.5 million, mostly Swiss French
, but including some Franco-Provençal
dialects) for French, 7% (0.5 million, mostly Swiss Italian, but including Insubric dialects) for Italian and less than 0.5% (35,000) for Romansh.
The non-official language with the largest group of native speakers is Serbo-Croatian
with 103,000 speakers in 2000, followed by Albanian
with 95,000, Portuguese
with 89,500, Spanish
with 77,500, English
with 73,000, Macedonian
61,300, and a total of 173,000 speakers of other languages, amounting to roughly 10% of the population with a native language not among the four official languages.
During the 2008/09 school year there were 1,502,257 students in the entire Swiss educational system. In kindergarten or pre-school, there were 152,919 students (48.6% female). These students were taught by 13,592 teachers (96.0% female) in 4,949 schools, of which 301 were private schools. There were 777,394 students (48.6% female) in the obligatory schools, which include primary and lower secondary schools. These students were taught by 74,501 teachers (66.3% female) in 6,083 schools, of which 614 were private. The upper secondary school system had 337,145 students (46.9% female). They were taught by 13,900 teachers (42.3% female) in 730 schools, of which 240 were private. The tertiary education system had 234,799 students (49.7% female). They were taught by 37,546 teachers (32.8% female) in 367 schools.
. In the same year, 94,574 adults (85% of them male, 47.4% of them Swiss citizens) were convicted under criminal law. 57.3% of convictions were for traffic offences.
In the same year, 15,064 minors (78.3% of them male, 68.2% of them of Swiss nationality, 76.3% aged between 15 and 18) were convicted.
The number of convictions in the last five years is given in the following table. Each class of crime references the relevant section of the Swiss penal code
(Strafgesetzbuch, abbreviated StGB) or the Swiss traffic laws (Strassenverkehrsgesetz, abbr. SVG).
Demographics
Demographics are the most recent statistical characteristics of a population. These types of data are used widely in sociology , public policy, and marketing. Commonly examined demographics include gender, race, age, disabilities, mobility, home ownership, employment status, and even location...
features of the population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, including population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
, ethnicity
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
Switzerland has a population of 7.8 million as of 2010. Its population has quadrupled over the period 1800 to 1990 (average doubling time
Doubling time
The doubling time is the period of time required for a quantity to double in size or value. It is applied to population growth, inflation, resource extraction, consumption of goods, compound interest, the volume of malignant tumours, and many other things which tend to grow over time...
95 years). Population growth was steepest in the period after World War II
Switzerland during the World Wars
During both World War I and World War II, Switzerland managed to keep a stance of armed neutrality, and was not involved militarily. However, precisely because of its neutral status, Switzerland was of considerable interest to all parties involved, as the scene for diplomacy, espionage, commerce,...
(1.4% per annum during 1950-1970, doubling time 50 years), it slowed down during the 1970s to 1980s and has since again picked up to 1% during the 2000s (doubling time 70 years).
More than 75% of the population live in the central plain
Swiss plateau
The Swiss Plateau or Central Plateau constitutes one of the three major landscapes in Switzerland alongside the Jura mountains and the Swiss Alps. It covers about 30% of the Swiss surface...
, which stretches between the Alps
Swiss Alps
The Swiss Alps are the portion of the Alps mountain range that lies within Switzerland. Because of their central position within the entire Alpine range, they are also known as the Central Alps....
and the Jura Mountains
Jura mountains
The Jura Mountains are a small mountain range located north of the Alps, separating the Rhine and Rhone rivers and forming part of the watershed of each...
and from Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
in the southwest to the Rhine River and Lake Constance
Lake Constance
Lake Constance is a lake on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps, and consists of three bodies of water: the Obersee , the Untersee , and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein.The lake is situated in Germany, Switzerland and Austria near the Alps...
in the northeast. Resident foreigners and temporary foreign workers make up about 20% of the population.
Encompassing the Central Alps, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
sits at the crossroads of several major European cultures. Its population includes a two-thirds majority of Alemannic German
Alemannic German
Alemannic is a group of dialects of the Upper German branch of the Germanic language family. It is spoken by approximately ten million people in six countries: Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, France and Italy...
speakers and a one-quarter Latin
Romance languages
The Romance languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family, more precisely of the Italic languages subfamily, comprising all the languages that descend from Vulgar Latin, the language of ancient Rome...
minority (French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
and Romansh), see linguistic geography of Switzerland
Linguistic geography of Switzerland
The four national languages of Switzerland are German, French, Italian, and Romansh. Only three of these languages, however, maintain equal status as official languages at the national level within the Federal Administration of the Swiss Confederation: German, French, and Italian.Native speakers...
. 10% of the population natively speak an immigrant language.
Switzerland consistently ranks high on quality of life
Quality of life
The term quality of life is used to evaluate the general well-being of individuals and societies. The term is used in a wide range of contexts, including the fields of international development, healthcare, and politics. Quality of life should not be confused with the concept of standard of...
indices, including per capita income, concentration of computer and internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
usage per capita, insurance coverage per individual, and health care rates. For these and many other reasons, such as the four languages, it serves as an excellent test market for businesses hoping to introduce new products into Europe.
Census
The Federal Population Census has been carried out every 10 years starting in 1850. The census was initiated by Federal CouncillorSwiss Federal Council
The Federal Council is the seven-member executive council which constitutes the federal government of Switzerland and serves as the Swiss collective head of state....
Stefano Franscini
Stefano Franscini
Stefano Franscini was a Swiss politician and statistician. He was one of the initial members of the Swiss Federal Council elected in 1848 and Switzerland's first native Italian speaking federal councillor. Franscini was affiliated to the Liberal Radical Party of Switzerland. During his office...
, who evaluated the data of the first census all by himself after Parliament failed to provide the necessary funds. The census is now being conducted by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office, which makes most results available on its website.
Collected data includes population data (citizenship, place of residence, place of birth, position in household, number of children, religion, languages, education, profession, place of work, etc.), household data (number of individuals living in the household, etc.), accommodation data (surface area, amount of rent paid, etc.) and building data (geocoordinates, time of construction, number of floors, etc.). Participation is compulsory and reached 99.87% of the population in 2000.
Since 2010, the population census has been carried out and analysed annually in a new format by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). In order to ease the burden on the population, the information is primarily drawn from population registers and supplemented by sample surveys. Only a small proportion of the population (about 5%) are surveyed in writing or by telephone. The first reference day for the new census was 31 December 2010.
Population
Total of registered residents (numbers relate to 31 December):| year | total | male | female | Swiss | foreign |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 7,785,800 | 3,830,600 (49.2% ) | 3,955,200 {50.8% } | 6,071,800 (78.0% ) | 1,714,000 (22.0% ) |
| 2008 | 7,701,900 | 3,786,700 (49.2% ) | 3,915,200 (50.8% ) | 6,032,100 (78.3% ) | 1,669,700 (21.7% ) |
| 2007 | 7,593,500 | 3,727,000 (49.1% ) | 3,866,500 (50.9% ) | 5,991,400 (78.9% ) | 1,602,100 (21.1% ) |
| 2006 | 7,508,700 | 3,679,400 (49.0% ) | 3,829,400 (51.0% ) | 5,954,200 (79.3% ) | 1,554,500 (20.7% ) |
| 2005 | 7,459,100 | 3,652,500 (49.0% ) | 3,806,600 (51.0% ) | 5,917,200 (79.3% ) | 1,541,900 (20.7% ) |
| 2004 | 7,415,100 | 3,628,700 (48.9% ) | 3,786,400 (51.1% ) | 5,890,400 (79.4% ) | 1,524,700 (20.6% ) |
| 2003 | 7,364,100 | 3,601,500 (48.9% ) | 3,762,600 (51.1% ) | 5,863,200 (79.6% ) | 1,500,900 (20.4% ) |
| 2002 | 7,313,900 | 3,575,000 (48.9% ) | 3,738,800 (51.1% ) | 5,836,900 (79.8% ) | 1,477,000 (20.2% ) |
| 2001 | 7,255,700 | 3,544,300 (48.8% ) | 3,711,300 (51.2% ) | 5,808,100 (80.0% ) | 1,447,600 (20.0% ) |
| 2000 | 7,204,100 | 3,519,700 (48.9% ) | 3,684,400 (51.1% ) | 5,779,700 (80.2% ) | 1,424,400 (19.8% ) |
| 1990 | 6,750,700 | 3,298,300 (48.9% ) | 3,452,400 (51.1% ) | 5,623,600 (83.3% ) | 1,127,100 (16.7% ) |
| 1980 | 6,335,200 | 3,082,000 (48.6% ) | 3,253,300 (51.4% ) | 5,421,700 (85.6% ) | 913,500 (14.4% ) |
| 1970 | 6,193,100 | 3,025,300 (48.8% ) | 3,167,700 (51.1% ) | 5,191,200 (83.8% ) | 1,001,900 (16.2% ) |
| 1960–1970 | 5,429,061 | - | - | - | - (10,8% ) |
| 1950–1960 | 4,714,992 | - | - | - | - (6,1% ) |
| 1941–1950 | 4,265,703 | - | - | - | - (5,2% ) |
| 1930–1941 | 4,066,400 | - | - | - | - (8,7% ) |
| 1920–1930 | 3,880,320 | - | - | - | - (10,4% ) |
| 1910–1920 | 3,753,293 | - | - | - | - (14,7% ) |
| 1900–1910 | 3,315,443 | - | - | - | - (11,6% ) |
| 1888–1900 | 2,917,754 | - | - | - | - (7,8% ) |
| 1880–1888 | 2,831,787 | - | - | - | - (7,4% ) |
| 1870–1880 | 2,655,001 | - | - | - | - (5,7% ) |
| 1860–1870 | 2,510,494 | - | - | - | - (4,6% ) |
| 1850–1860 | 2,392,740 | - | - | - | - (2,9% ) |
| 1837–1850 | 2,190,258 | - | - | - | - (- ) |
| 1798–1837 | 1,664,832 | - | - | - | - (- ) |
Growth rate
During the 19th and 20th centuries, population growth rate has been at 0.7% to 0.8%, with a doubling timeDoubling time
The doubling time is the period of time required for a quantity to double in size or value. It is applied to population growth, inflation, resource extraction, consumption of goods, compound interest, the volume of malignant tumours, and many other things which tend to grow over time...
of ca. 90 years. In the later 20th century, the growth rate has fallen below 0.7% (1980s: 0.64%; 1990s: 0.65%), and in the 2000s it has risen again slightly (2000–2006: 0.69%), mostly due to immigration. In 2007 the population grew at a much higher 1.1% rate, again mostly due to immigration. For 2008, the population grew 1.6%, a level not seen since the early 1960s.
Total fertility rate
- 1.46 children born/woman (total)
- 1.33 children born/Swiss woman
- 1.86 children born/non-Swiss woman
Vital statistics since 1900
| Average population (x 1000) | Live births | Deaths | Natural change | Crude birth rate (per 1000) | Crude death rate (per 1000) | Natural change (per 1000) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 3 300 | 94 316 | 63 606 | 30 710 | 28.6 | 19.3 | 9.3 |
| 1901 | 3 341 | 97 028 | 60 018 | 37 010 | 29.0 | 18.0 | 11.1 |
| 1902 | 3 384 | 96 480 | 57 702 | 38 778 | 28.5 | 17.1 | 11.5 |
| 1903 | 3 428 | 93 824 | 59 626 | 34 198 | 27.4 | 17.4 | 10.0 |
| 1904 | 3 472 | 94 867 | 60 857 | 34 010 | 27.3 | 17.5 | 9.8 |
| 1905 | 3 516 | 94 653 | 61 800 | 32 853 | 26.9 | 17.6 | 9.3 |
| 1906 | 3 560 | 95 595 | 59 204 | 36 391 | 26.9 | 16.6 | 10.2 |
| 1907 | 3 604 | 94 508 | 59 252 | 35 256 | 26.2 | 16.4 | 9.8 |
| 1908 | 3 647 | 96 245 | 57 697 | 38 548 | 26.4 | 15.8 | 10.6 |
| 1909 | 3 691 | 94 112 | 59 416 | 34 696 | 25.5 | 16.1 | 9.4 |
| 1910 | 3 735 | 93 514 | 56 498 | 37 016 | 25.0 | 15.1 | 9.9 |
| 1911 | 3 776 | 91 320 | 59 619 | 31 701 | 24.2 | 15.8 | 8.4 |
| 1912 | 3 819 | 92 196 | 54 102 | 38 094 | 24.1 | 14.2 | 10.0 |
| 1913 | 3 864 | 89 757 | 55 427 | 34 330 | 23.2 | 14.3 | 8.9 |
| 1914 | 3 897 | 87 330 | 53 629 | 33 701 | 22.4 | 13.8 | 8.6 |
| 1915 | 3 883 | 75 545 | 51 524 | 24 021 | 19.5 | 13.3 | 6.2 |
| 1916 | 3 883 | 73 660 | 50 623 | 23 037 | 19.0 | 13.0 | 5.9 |
| 1917 | 3 888 | 72 065 | 53 306 | 18 759 | 18.5 | 13.7 | 4.8 |
| 1918 | 3 880 | 72 658 | 75 034 | -2 376 | 18.7 | 19.3 | -0.6 |
| 1919 | 3 869 | 72 125 | 54 932 | 17 193 | 18.6 | 14.2 | 4.4 |
| 1920 | 3 877 | 81 190 | 55 992 | 25 198 | 20.9 | 14.4 | 6.5 |
| 1921 | 3 876 | 80 808 | 49 518 | 31 290 | 20.8 | 12.8 | 8.1 |
| 1922 | 3 874 | 76 290 | 50 292 | 25 998 | 19.7 | 13.0 | 6.7 |
| 1923 | 3 883 | 75 551 | 45 983 | 29 568 | 19.5 | 11.8 | 7.6 |
| 1924 | 3 896 | 73 508 | 48 988 | 24 520 | 18.9 | 12.6 | 6.3 |
| 1925 | 3 910 | 72 570 | 47 877 | 24 693 | 18.6 | 12.2 | 6.3 |
| 1926 | 3 932 | 72 118 | 46 452 | 25 666 | 18.3 | 11.8 | 6.5 |
| 1927 | 3 956 | 69 533 | 49 202 | 20 331 | 17.6 | 12.4 | 5.1 |
| 1928 | 3 988 | 69 594 | 48 063 | 21 531 | 17.4 | 12.1 | 5.4 |
| 1929 | 4 022 | 69 006 | 50 438 | 18 568 | 17.2 | 12.5 | 4.6 |
| 1930 | 4 051 | 69 855 | 46 939 | 22 916 | 17.2 | 11.6 | 5.7 |
| 1931 | 4 080 | 68 249 | 49 414 | 18 835 | 16.7 | 12.1 | 4.6 |
| 1932 | 4 102 | 68 650 | 49 911 | 18 739 | 16.7 | 12.2 | 4.6 |
| 1933 | 4 122 | 67 509 | 47 181 | 20 328 | 16.4 | 11.4 | 4.9 |
| 1934 | 4 140 | 67 277 | 46 806 | 20 471 | 16.3 | 11.3 | 4.9 |
| 1935 | 4 155 | 66 378 | 50 233 | 16 145 | 16.0 | 12.1 | 3.9 |
| 1936 | 4 168 | 64 966 | 47 650 | 17 316 | 15.6 | 11.4 | 4.2 |
| 1937 | 4 180 | 62 480 | 47 274 | 15 206 | 14.9 | 11.3 | 3.6 |
| 1938 | 4 192 | 63 790 | 48 576 | 15 214 | 15.2 | 11.6 | 3.6 |
| 1939 | 4 206 | 63 837 | 49 484 | 14 353 | 15.2 | 11.8 | 3.4 |
| 1940 | 4 226 | 64 115 | 50 759 | 13 356 | 15.2 | 12.0 | 3.2 |
| 1941 | 4 254 | 71 926 | 47 336 | 24 590 | 16.9 | 11.1 | 5.8 |
| 1942 | 4 286 | 78 875 | 46 928 | 31 947 | 18.4 | 10.9 | 7.5 |
| 1943 | 4 323 | 83 049 | 47 409 | 35 640 | 19.2 | 11.0 | 8.2 |
| 1944 | 4 364 | 85 627 | 52 336 | 33 291 | 19.6 | 12.0 | 7.6 |
| 1945 | 4 412 | 88 522 | 51 086 | 37 436 | 20.1 | 11.6 | 8.5 |
| 1946 | 4 467 | 89 126 | 50 276 | 38 850 | 20.0 | 11.3 | 8.7 |
| 1947 | 4 524 | 87 724 | 51 384 | 36 340 | 19.4 | 11.4 | 8.0 |
| 1948 | 4 582 | 87 763 | 49 679 | 38 084 | 19.2 | 10.8 | 8.3 |
| 1949 | 4 639 | 85 308 | 49 497 | 35 811 | 18.4 | 10.7 | 7.7 |
| 1950 | 4 694 | 84 776 | 47 372 | 37 404 | 18.1 | 10.1 | 8.0 |
| 1951 | 4 749 | 81 903 | 49 952 | 31 951 | 17.2 | 10.5 | 6.7 |
| 1952 | 4 815 | 83 549 | 47 624 | 35 925 | 17.4 | 9.9 | 7.5 |
| 1953 | 4 878 | 83 029 | 49 684 | 33 345 | 17.0 | 10.2 | 6.8 |
| 1954 | 4 929 | 83 741 | 49 113 | 34 628 | 17.0 | 10.0 | 7.0 |
| 1955 | 4 980 | 85 331 | 50 366 | 34 965 | 17.1 | 10.1 | 7.0 |
| 1956 | 5 045 | 87 912 | 51 573 | 36 339 | 17.4 | 10.2 | 7.2 |
| 1957 | 5 126 | 90 823 | 51 066 | 39 757 | 17.7 | 10.0 | 7.8 |
| 1958 | 5 199 | 91 421 | 49 281 | 42 140 | 17.6 | 9.5 | 8.1 |
| 1959 | 5 259 | 92 973 | 50 077 | 42 896 | 17.7 | 9.5 | 8.2 |
| 1960 | 5 362 | 94 372 | 52 094 | 42 278 | 17.6 | 9.7 | 7.9 |
| 1961 | 5 434 | 99 238 | 51 004 | 48 234 | 18.3 | 9.4 | 8.9 |
| 1962 | 5 574 | 104 322 | 55 125 | 49 197 | 18.7 | 9.9 | 8.8 |
| 1963 | 5 694 | 109 993 | 56 989 | 53 004 | 19.3 | 10.0 | 9.3 |
| 1964 | 5 789 | 112 890 | 53 609 | 59 281 | 19.5 | 9.3 | 10.2 |
| 1965 | 5 856 | 111 835 | 55 547 | 56 288 | 19.1 | 9.5 | 9.6 |
| 1966 | 5 918 | 109 738 | 55 804 | 53 934 | 18.5 | 9.4 | 9.1 |
| 1967 | 5 992 | 107 417 | 55 142 | 52 275 | 17.9 | 9.2 | 8.7 |
| 1968 | 6 068 | 105 130 | 57 342 | 47 788 | 17.3 | 9.4 | 7.9 |
| 1969 | 6 136 | 102 520 | 58 002 | 44 518 | 16.7 | 9.5 | 7.3 |
| 1970 | 6 181 | 99 216 | 57 091 | 42 125 | 16.1 | 9.2 | 6.8 |
| 1971 | 6 213 | 96 261 | 57 856 | 38 405 | 15.5 | 9.3 | 6.2 |
| 1972 | 6 261 | 91 342 | 56 489 | 34 853 | 14.6 | 9.0 | 5.6 |
| 1973 | 6 307 | 87 518 | 56 990 | 30 528 | 13.9 | 9.0 | 4.8 |
| 1974 | 6 341 | 84 507 | 56 403 | 28 104 | 13.3 | 8.9 | 4.4 |
| 1975 | 6 339 | 78 464 | 55 924 | 22 540 | 12.4 | 8.8 | 3.6 |
| 1976 | 6 303 | 74 199 | 57 095 | 17 104 | 11.8 | 9.1 | 2.7 |
| 1977 | 6 281 | 72 829 | 55 658 | 17 171 | 11.6 | 8.9 | 2.7 |
| 1978 | 6 281 | 71 375 | 57 718 | 13 657 | 11.4 | 9.2 | 2.2 |
| 1979 | 6 294 | 71 986 | 57 454 | 14 532 | 11.4 | 9.1 | 2.3 |
| 1980 | 6 319 | 73 661 | 59 097 | 14 564 | 11.7 | 9.4 | 2.3 |
| 1981 | 6 354 | 73 747 | 59 763 | 13 984 | 11.6 | 9.4 | 2.2 |
| 1982 | 6 391 | 74 916 | 59 204 | 15 712 | 11.7 | 9.3 | 2.5 |
| 1983 | 6 419 | 73 659 | 60 756 | 12 903 | 11.5 | 9.5 | 2.0 |
| 1984 | 6 442 | 74 710 | 58 602 | 16 108 | 11.6 | 9.1 | 2.5 |
| 1985 | 6 470 | 74 684 | 59 583 | 15 101 | 11.5 | 9.2 | 2.3 |
| 1986 | 6 504 | 76 320 | 60 105 | 16 215 | 11.7 | 9.2 | 2.5 |
| 1987 | 6 545 | 76 505 | 59 511 | 16 994 | 11.7 | 9.1 | 2.6 |
| 1988 | 6 593 | 80 345 | 60 648 | 19 697 | 12.2 | 9.2 | 3.0 |
| 1989 | 6 647 | 81 180 | 60 882 | 20 298 | 12.2 | 9.2 | 3.1 |
| 1990 | 6 712 | 83 939 | 63 739 | 20 200 | 12.5 | 9.5 | 3.0 |
| 1991 | 6 800 | 86 200 | 62 634 | 23 566 | 12.7 | 9.2 | 3.5 |
| 1992 | 6 875 | 86 910 | 62 302 | 24 608 | 12.6 | 9.1 | 3.6 |
| 1993 | 6 938 | 83 762 | 62 512 | 21 250 | 12.1 | 9.0 | 3.1 |
| 1994 | 6 994 | 82 980 | 61 987 | 20 993 | 11.9 | 8.9 | 3.0 |
| 1995 | 7 041 | 82 203 | 63 387 | 18 816 | 11.7 | 9.0 | 2.7 |
| 1996 | 7 072 | 83 007 | 62 637 | 20 370 | 11.7 | 8.9 | 2.9 |
| 1997 | 7 089 | 79 485 | 59 967 | 19 518 | 11.2 | 8.5 | 2.8 |
| 1998 | 7 110 | 78 949 | 62 569 | 16 380 | 11.1 | 8.8 | 2.3 |
| 1999 | 7 144 | 78 408 | 62 503 | 15 905 | 11.0 | 8.7 | 2.2 |
| 2000 | 7 184 | 78 458 | 62 528 | 15 930 | 10.9 | 8.7 | 2.2 |
| 2001 | 7 230 | 73 509 | 61 287 | 12 222 | 10.2 | 8.5 | 1.7 |
| 2002 | 7 285 | 72 372 | 61 768 | 10 604 | 9.9 | 8.5 | 1.5 |
| 2003 | 7 339 | 71 848 | 63 070 | 8 778 | 9.8 | 8.6 | 1.2 |
| 2004 | 7 390 | 73 082 | 60 180 | 12 902 | 9.9 | 8.1 | 1.7 |
| 2005 | 7 437 | 72 903 | 61 124 | 11 779 | 9.8 | 8.2 | 1.6 |
| 2006 | 7 484 | 73 371 | 60 283 | 13 088 | 9.8 | 8.1 | 1.7 |
| 2007 | 7 551 | 74 494 | 61 089 | 13 405 | 9.9 | 8.1 | 1.8 |
| 2008 | 7 648 | 76 691 | 61 233 | 15 458 | 10.0 | 8.0 | 2.0 |
| 2009 | 7 742 | 78 286 | 62 476 | 15 810 | 10.1 | 8.1 | 2.0 |
| 2010 (p) | 7 823 | 80 000 | 62 500 | 17 500 | 10.2 | 8.0 | 2.2 |
p=preliminary
Age structure
| age | total(in thousands) | percent | Swiss (in thousands) | foreign (in thousands) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-10 | 838.4 | 11.0% | 633.6 | 202.3 (24%) |
| 11-20 | 879.6 | 11.6% | 712.0 | 172.2 (19%) |
| 21-30 | 926.8 | 12.2% | 674.0 | 272.7 (29%) |
| 31-40 | 1,136.8 | 15.0% | 782.9 | 342.7 (19%) |
| 41-50 | 1,197.4 | 15.8% | 942.1 | 282.4 (29%) |
| 51-60 | 970.1 | 12.8% | 814.9 | 164.1 (17%) |
| 61-70 | 740.8 | 9.8% | 661.5 | 102.4 (14%) |
| 71-80 | 515.0 | 6.8% | 473.2 | 47.9 (9%) |
| 81-90 | 258.2 | 3.4% | 252.6 | 13.5 (5%) |
| 91+ | 45.6 | 0.6% | 44.4 | 1.9 (4%) |
Data: Swiss Federal Statistics Office
As population growth curbs, the percentage of elderly people increases. In July 2006, the Swiss Federal Office of Statistics published a projection estimating that by 2050, one in three adult Swiss will be of retirement age (as opposed to one in five in 2005). Total population was projected to stagnate in 2036 at around 8.1 million and fall slightly to 8 million in 2050. The predicted age structure for 2050 is:
- 0-20 years: 1,4 million (18%)
- 20-64 years: 4,4 million (55%)
- 65 and over: 2,2 million (27%)
Sex ratio
| age | males (in thousands) | females (in thousands) | ratio (male/female) |
|---|---|---|---|
| at birth | 38.1 | 36.2 | 1.05 |
| 0-15 | 651.8 | 615.6 | 1.06 |
| 16-64 | 2,551.0 | 2,530.0 | 1.01 |
| 65+ | 524.3 | 720.9 | 0.73 |
| total | 3,727.0 | 3,866.5 | 0.96 |
Data: Swiss Federal Statistics Office 2007
Life expectancy at birth
According to statistics released by the federal government in 2008, life expectancyLife expectancy
Life expectancy is the expected number of years of life remaining at a given age. It is denoted by ex, which means the average number of subsequent years of life for someone now aged x, according to a particular mortality experience...
stands at 79.7 years for men and 84.4 years for women, for an overall average of 82.1 years for the populace as a whole.
Nationality
The number of registered resident foreigners was 1,001,887 (16.17%) in 1970. This amount decreased to 904,337 (14.34%) in 1979, and has increased steadily since that time, passing the 20% mark during 2001 and rising to 1,524,663 (20.56%) in 2004. The number of Swiss citizens thus numbered about 5.9 million in that year.In 2007, 1.45 million resident foreigners (85.4%, or 19.1% of the total population), had European citizenship (Italian: 295,507; German: 224,324; citizens of Serbia and Montenegro: 196,078; Portuguese: 193,299; French: 83,129; Turkish: 75,382; Spanish: 66,519, Macedonian: 60,509; Bosnian: 41,654; Croatian: 38,144; Austrian: 36,155; British: 32,207). ; 109,113 residents were from Asia; 69,010 from the Americas; 66,599 from Africa; and 3,777 from Oceania.
In 2004, 35,700 people acquired Swiss citizenship according to Swiss nationality law
Swiss nationality law
Swiss citizenship is the status of being a citizen of Switzerland and it can be obtained by birth, marriage or naturalisation.The Swiss Citizenship Law is based on the following principles:...
, a figure slightly larger than that of the previous year (35,424), and four times larger than the 1990 figure (8,658). About a third of those naturalized are from a successor state of Former Yugoslavia
Former Yugoslavia
The former Yugoslavia is a term used to describe the present day states which succeeded the collapse of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia....
: 7,900 Serbia-Montenegro, 2,400 Bosnia-Herzegowina, 2,000 Macedonia, 1,600 Croatia. 4,200 were from Italy, 3,600 from Turkey, 1,600 from Sri Lanka, 1,200 from Portugal, and 1,200 from France.
The yearly rate of naturalization has quintupled over the 1990s and 2000s, from roughly 9,000 to 45,000.
Relative to the population of resident foreigners, this amounts to an increase from 8‰ in 1990 to 27‰ in 2007, or relative to the number of Swiss citizens from 1.6‰ in 1990 to 7.3‰ in 2007.
The following table shows the historical development of the rate of naturalization.
| year | naturalizations | fraction of resident foreigners | fraction of citizens |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 8,660 | 7.6‰ | 1.6‰ |
| 1991 | 8,760 | ‰ | ‰ |
| 1992 | 11,100 | ‰ | ‰ |
| 1993 | 12,900 | ‰ | ‰ |
| 1994 | 13,700 | ‰ | ‰ |
| 1995 | 16,800 | ‰ | ‰ |
| 1996 | 19,200 | ‰ | ‰ |
| 1997 | 19,200 | ‰ | ‰ |
| 1998 | 21,300 | ‰ | ‰ |
| 1999 | 20,300 | ‰ | ‰ |
| 2000 | 28,700 | ‰ | ‰ |
| 2001 | 27,600 | ‰ | ‰ |
| 2002 | 36,500 | ‰ | ‰ |
| 2003 | 35,400 | ‰ | ‰ |
| 2004 | 35,700 | 23.4‰ | 6.0‰ |
| 2005 | 38,400 | 25.7‰ | 6.4‰ |
| 2006 | 46,700 | 30.9‰ | 7.8‰ |
| 2007 | 43,900 | 27.4‰ | 7.3‰ |
| 2008 | 44,400 | 28‰ |
In recent decades, many Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
and Ukrainians
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
from Ukraine represent large immigrant communities in the country. Tamil refugees fleeing from war in Sri Lanka are the largest number of Asians, while Albanians
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
and other former Yugoslavians continue to grow in number. Switzerland is also the second largest European country in number of acceptance of Iraqi refugees
Iraqi diaspora
The Iraqi diaspora refers to native Iraqis who have left for other countries as emigrants or refugees, and is now one of the largest in modern times, being described by the UN as a "humanitarian crisis" largely due to the US invasion and occupation of Iraq....
fleeing from the violence in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
since 2003, but behind Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
in the number of Iraqis
Iraqi people
The Iraqi people or Mesopotamian people are natives or inhabitants of the country of Iraq, known since antiquity as Mesopotamia , with a large diaspora throughout the Arab World, Europe, the Americas, and...
taken residence for a European country.
In 2004, 623,100 Swiss citizens (8.9%) lived abroad, the largest group in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(166,200), followed by the USA (71,400) and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(70,500). (see Swiss diaspora).
Religions
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
(Roman Catholic 41.8%, Protestant 35.3%, Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
1.8%). 809,800 (11.1%, compared to 3.8% in 1980) were without any religious affiliation. 310,800 (4.3%) were Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
(compared to 0.9% in 1980), 17,900 (0.2%) were Jewish.
These numbers are based on membership in a congregation, not on direct statements of belief. The 2005 Eurobarometer poll found 48% of Swiss residents to be theist, 39% expressing belief in "some sort of spirit or life force", 9% atheist and 4 % said that they "don't know".
Languages
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
and Romansh.
Native speakers number about 64% (4.6 million) for German (mostly Swiss German
Swiss German
Swiss German is any of the Alemannic dialects spoken in Switzerland and in some Alpine communities in Northern Italy. Occasionally, the Alemannic dialects spoken in other countries are grouped together with Swiss German as well, especially the dialects of Liechtenstein and Austrian Vorarlberg...
dialects), 20% (1.5 million, mostly Swiss French
Swiss French
Swiss French is the name used for the variety of French spoken in the French-speaking area of Switzerland known as Romandy. Swiss French is not to be confused with Franco-Provençal/Arpitan or Romansh, two other individual Romance languages spoken in areas not far from Romandy.The differences...
, but including some Franco-Provençal
Franco-Provençal language
Franco-Provençal , Arpitan, or Romand is a Romance language with several distinct dialects that form a linguistic sub-group separate from Langue d'Oïl and Langue d'Oc. The name Franco-Provençal was given to the language by G.I...
dialects) for French, 7% (0.5 million, mostly Swiss Italian, but including Insubric dialects) for Italian and less than 0.5% (35,000) for Romansh.
The non-official language with the largest group of native speakers is Serbo-Croatian
Serbo-Croatian
Serbo-Croatian or Serbo-Croat, less commonly Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian , is a South Slavic language with multiple standards and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro...
with 103,000 speakers in 2000, followed by Albanian
Albanian language
Albanian is an Indo-European language spoken by approximately 7.6 million people, primarily in Albania and Kosovo but also in other areas of the Balkans in which there is an Albanian population, including western Macedonia, southern Montenegro, southern Serbia and northwestern Greece...
with 95,000, Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
with 89,500, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
with 77,500, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
with 73,000, Macedonian
Macedonian language
Macedonian is a South Slavic language spoken as a first language by approximately 2–3 million people principally in the region of Macedonia but also in the Macedonian diaspora...
61,300, and a total of 173,000 speakers of other languages, amounting to roughly 10% of the population with a native language not among the four official languages.
Education
Almost all Swiss are literate. Switzerland's 13 institutes of higher learning enrolled 99,600 students in the academic year of 2001-02. About 25% of the adult population hold a diploma of higher learning. According to the CIA World Factbook data for 2003, 99% of the Swiss population aged 15 and over could read and write, with the rate being identical for both sexes.During the 2008/09 school year there were 1,502,257 students in the entire Swiss educational system. In kindergarten or pre-school, there were 152,919 students (48.6% female). These students were taught by 13,592 teachers (96.0% female) in 4,949 schools, of which 301 were private schools. There were 777,394 students (48.6% female) in the obligatory schools, which include primary and lower secondary schools. These students were taught by 74,501 teachers (66.3% female) in 6,083 schools, of which 614 were private. The upper secondary school system had 337,145 students (46.9% female). They were taught by 13,900 teachers (42.3% female) in 730 schools, of which 240 were private. The tertiary education system had 234,799 students (49.7% female). They were taught by 37,546 teachers (32.8% female) in 367 schools.
Delinquency
The police registered a total of 553,421 criminal offences in 2009, including 51 killings and 185 attempted murders. There were 666 cases of rapeRape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
. In the same year, 94,574 adults (85% of them male, 47.4% of them Swiss citizens) were convicted under criminal law. 57.3% of convictions were for traffic offences.
In the same year, 15,064 minors (78.3% of them male, 68.2% of them of Swiss nationality, 76.3% aged between 15 and 18) were convicted.
The number of convictions in the last five years is given in the following table. Each class of crime references the relevant section of the Swiss penal code
Strafgesetzbuch (Switzerland)
The Strafgesetzbuch is the Criminal Code in Swiss law. The original version was created on 21 December 1937. It entered into force on 1 January 1942...
(Strafgesetzbuch, abbreviated StGB) or the Swiss traffic laws (Strassenverkehrsgesetz, abbr. SVG).
| Year | Total Convictions | Homicide(Art. 111,112,113,116 StGB) | Serious Bodily Injury(Art. 122 StGB) | Minor Bodily Injury (Art. 123 StGB) | Sexual Contact with Children (Art. 187 StGB) | Rape(Art. 190 StGB) | Theft(Art. 139 StGB) | Robbery (Art. 140 StGB) | Receiving Stolen Goods (Art. 160 StGB) | Embezzlement (Art. 138 StGB) | Fraud (Art. 146 StGB) | Narcotics Possession | Major Violation of Traffic Laws (Art. 90 SVG) | Drunk Driving (Art. 91 Abs. 1 Satz 2 SVG) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 85,605 | 93 | 94 | 2,459 | 413 | 109 | 6,557 | 489 | 1,262 | 910 | 1,484 | 2,846 | 22,163 | 15,776 |
| 2006 | 90,592 | 95 | 105 | 2,523 | 382 | 131 | 6,569 | 553 | 1,196 | 880 | 1,521 | 2,616 | 21,599 | 18,439 |
| 2007 | 84,665 | 93 | 88 | 2,248 | 380 | 135 | 5,979 | 522 | 922 | 807 | 1,607 | 2,462 | 21,431 | 17,355 |
| 2008 | 93,024 | 95 | 133 | 2,635 | 415 | 133 | 6,345 | 522 | 905 | 848 | 1,665 | 2,606 | 25,339 | 17,836 |
| 2009 | 94,574 | 84 | 118 | 2,578 | 366 | 108 | 6,947 | 514 | 924 | 820 | 1,506 | 2,708 | 25,434 | 16,708 |
See also
- List of Swiss people
- SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
- Immigration to EuropeImmigration to EuropeImmigration to Europe increased from the 1980s onward, as a result of people from developing countries wanting to escape war, oppression, natural disasters or poverty. Some EU countries saw a dramatic growth in immigration after World War II until the 1970s. Most European nations today have...
- List of countries by immigrant population
- Politics of SwitzerlandPolitics of SwitzerlandThe politics of Switzerland take place in the framework of a multi-party federal parliamentary democratic republic, whereby the Federal Council of Switzerland is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the government and the federal administration and is not concentrated in any one...
- Poverty in SwitzerlandPoverty in SwitzerlandHistorically, Switzerland has been a poor country, especially in the Alpine region. From the 17th century, incipient industrialisation brought wealth to the cities, particularly to Zurich, but rural areas remained destitute well into the 19th century, causing the peasant war in 1653, and later...
- Metropolitan areas in Switzerland
- Albanians in Switzerland
- Italian immigration to SwitzerlandItalian immigration to SwitzerlandItalian immigration to Switzerland began on a large scale in the late 19th century, although most of the immigrants that reached the country in that period eventually returned to Italy after the rise of Fascism...