In 2024, the net number of foreign nationals moving Switzerland was 83,400, 15.6% lower than in 2023, according to the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM). By the end of 2024, the total number of residents in Switzerland without Swiss passports had risen to 2.36 million, roughly 26% of Switzerland’s population of nearly 9 million.
Most immigrants in 2024 came from EU and EFTA nations (71%) and most (52%) came to work. Of the 170,600 foreign nationals coming to live in Switzerland in 2024, 52% came to work, 25% came as part of a family, 10% came to study, 7% came as asylum seekers and a further 6% came without work or for unspecified reasons.
The main source countries were Germany (14%), France (11%), Italy (11%), Portugal (7%), Spain (5%), Romania (4%) and Poland (4%). Nationals from these seven nations made up 56% of all inward migration into Switzerland in 2024. A further 15% came from other EU/EFTA nations, bringing the EU/EFTA total to 71%.
During the year, 40,291 foreigners became Swiss, 2.4% lower than the number in 2023. 60% of those naturalised in 2024 were from EU/EFTA nations. 20% were German, 11% Italian, 10% French, 5% Portuguese, 3% Spanish, 1% Romanian, 1% Polish and 9% from a number of other EU/EFTA countries. Beyond the EU/EFTA 6% of those naturalised in 2024 were from Kosovo, 3% from Turkey, 3% from the UK, 3% from North Macedonia, 2% from Serbia, 2% from Russia, 2% from Eritea and a further 19% from a number of other nations.
More on this:
SEM article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
For more stories like this on Switzerland follow us on Facebook and Twitter.