Switzerland
Switzerland is a small country with a population of 8.9 million people. It has 4 language regions and 26 cantons, which are largely independent and consist of numerous local authorities or communes. Multilingualism and federalism have their roots in the past, yet still shape Switzerland today. Its neutrality is recognised by all states of the world.
26 cantons
8.9 million people
There are 8.9 million people living in Switzerland, 27 per cent of them without a Swiss passport (permanent resident population, Q3 2023). More than half of these foreign nationals were either born in Switzerland or have been living here for at least ten years. The majority of the foreign population comes from an EU country. The largest foreign national groups are from Italy, Germany and Portugal.
4 national languages
Switzerland is a multilingual country. The four national languages are German, French, Italian and Romansh. 62 per cent of the population primarily speak (Swiss-)German, 23 per cent French, 8 per cent Italian and 0.5 per cent Romansh. For 23 per cent of the population, their mother tongue is not one of Switzerland’s national languages. Many people state that they have two main languages, i.e. they are bilingual.
Christian majority
Switzerland is a predominantly Christian country: 59 % of the population is either Catholic or Protestant or belongs to another Christian community. Freedom of religion also allows other religious communities to exercise their faith. The number of people with no religious affiliation has been growing for quite some time – particularly among city dwellers.
High life expectancy
People in Switzerland are getting older and older and have fewer children than before. Average life expectancy is one of the highest in the world: it is 82 years for men and 85 years for women. Women have 1.4 children on average. The proportion of people over 64 years of age in the population has increased, while that of people under 20 years of age and 20 to 64 years of age has declined.
