At the end of 2023, more than 8.9 million people lived in Switzerland, rising by 147,000 (1.7%) across the year, reported the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).
The population rose in all cantons, driven by high levels of immigration, particularly from Ukraine. The last time Switzerland’s population rose so fast was in 1960, wrote FSO.
The figures include all residents, which is defined as those living in the country for more than one year. A large proportion of the refugees from Ukraine had been living in Switzerland for more than a year by the end of 2023. This boosted the resident population significantly. Without these people the jump in the resident population of Switzerland would have risen by 1.1% instead of 1.7%. The last time the population grew by as much as 1.1% was in 2016.
Despite all of the new arrivals, Switzerland’s population continued to age. The number of people aged 65 and over rose from 1.69 million to 1.73 million during 2023, a rise of 2.3%, faster than the rate of of overall population growth of 1.7%. The portion of the population 65 or over rose fastest in the cantons of Obwalden, Fribourg, Schwyz, Thurgau and Uri where it was up by more than 3%.
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FSO article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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