The number of new apartment units built in Switzerland last year increased to levels not seen since the mid-1990s, according to the Federal Statistics Office.

It said 43,570 units were completed in 2007 – a five per cent increase over the previous year – and 58,000 units were under construction by the end of December.

The cities of Geneva and Lausanne in western Switzerland experienced large rates of growth while the city of Zurich and the capital Bern saw more moderate increases.

The Statistics Office added that new construction started to sag by the fourth quarter, and that overall, the number of new building permits issued sharply decreased compared with the previous year.

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative