Demographics

Demographic trends in Switzerland and their consequences.

Swiss families are getting smaller and smaller

This content was published on Jun 19, 2025 Swiss birth and marriage rates hit record lows in 2024, with families shrinking further.

Switzerland remains the richest country in the world according to UBS

UBS study: Switzerland is still the richest country in the world

This content was published on Jun 18, 2025 Average per-capita wealth in Switzerland rose last year to $687,000 (CHF561,000), the UBS Global Wealth Report said on Wednesday.

Switzerland moves up three places in the WEF equality index

Switzerland moves up three places in the WEF gender equality index

This content was published on Jun 12, 2025 Switzerland has moved up three places to 17th in the World Economic Forum’s gender equality index.

In Zurich, there are to be income limits for affordable flats

Zurich to set income limits to rent affordable flats

This content was published on Jun 12, 2025 The Zurich city parliament has spoken out in favour of an income limit for people renting private, affordable flats.

Flat-hunting in Switzerland’s cheapest and most expensive municipalities

This content was published on Jun 8, 2025 The town of Le Locle in the Jura and the municipality of Kilchberg on Lake Zurich are 2.5 hours’ drive apart – and thousands of francs per square metre.

How retiring baby boomers could crash Swiss property market

This content was published on Jun 2, 2025 If baby boomers sell their homes, the property market could collapse. Can younger generations hope for plummeting prices?

‘Without immigration, more than a third of the Swiss population would disappear per generation’

This content was published on May 12, 2025 Switzerland is a country of emigration but also immigration. This is typical of an open, globalised country, says political analyst Michael Hermann.

Two people in silhouette look at mobile phones while a contrail of an aircraft is seen in the sky in the evening twilight, at Zurich Kloten Airport, pictured in Ruemlang, Switzerland, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (KEYSTONE/Michael Buholzer)

No house generation: the impossibility of buying property in Switzerland

This content was published on May 12, 2025 In many countries, buying a home is slipping further out of reach for young people. Switzerland is no exception.

Passports for sale? Golden visa schemes are residency for the rich.

Swiss Golden Visa scheme faces opposition

This content was published on May 7, 2025 Switzerland wants to snap up as many wealthy globetrotters as possible, but not everyone agrees with the methods being used.

In Switzerland, migration isn’t just inbound

This content was published on May 1, 2025 Who are the 90,000 or so foreigners who leave Switzerland each year, and why do they do so?

Switzerland’s housing shortage: how bad is it?

This content was published on Apr 29, 2025 With high immigration and not enough new houses and flats being built, Switzerland’s housing shortage is getting worse. Just how severe is the problem?

What are your experiences with housing shortages and rising property prices?

Switzerland is steering towards a housing crisis. Are there solutions?

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Apr 25, 2025

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On April 5, thousands demonstrated in Zurich against the housing crisis. It was the city's largest housing demonstration since the turn of the millennium

Zurich: Welcome to the world capital of housing shortages!

This content was published on Apr 21, 2025 In Zurich, only seven out of 10,000 apartments are vacant on average – the lowest rate in Switzerland and probably in the Western world.

Ukrainian in Switzerland: ‘I loved Russia…but they threw me out’

This content was published on Apr 17, 2025 Long-time Russian resident Natalia told officers she was for “peace in the world”. The response: a 20-year-ban on entering the country.

Did you immigrate to Switzerland? What are your experiences?

What were the circumstances of your immigration to Switzerland? And what motivated your decision to stay or leave?

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Apr 1, 2025

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Opponents of Covid-19 measures on the Rütli meadown on Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, in July 2021.

Study reveals antipathy towards marginalised groups in Switzerland

This content was published on Mar 26, 2025 Minority groups like Covid-19 skeptics and climate campaigners are particularly unappreciated.

‘It’s political’: why some people refuse to have a smartphone

This content was published on Mar 23, 2025 Almost two decades after the first iPhone, not everyone is ready to go fully digital. We talk to three people sceptical of the always-online life.

Supporters of left-wing Vetevendosje! party celebrate following results of a parliamentary election, in Pristina,

When Kosovo votes, so do 27,000 Kosovars in Switzerland

This content was published on Feb 19, 2025 A large number voted for the incumbent prime minister, Albin Kurti – who is well aware of the importance of his supporters in the diaspora.

Swiss youth in vocational training seek jobs less prone to automation

This content was published on Dec 16, 2024 In Switzerland and around the world, younger generations are re-assessing their career choices in response to growing automation driven by AI.

Dear Swiss Abroad, what difficulties did you encounter when your foreign spouse applied for Swiss nationality?

Dear Swiss Abroad, what difficulties did you encounter when your foreign spouse applied for Swiss nationality? Tell us your experiences.

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Sep 25, 2024

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‘No kids’ holidays are booming in Switzerland. Blatant discrimination or a stroke of genius?

Canny tourist operators have realised that many people will pay a premium to remove kids from their holidays. What does this say about society?

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Jul 17, 2024

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Middle classes flock to Swiss ‘boomburb’

This content was published on Jul 27, 2012 As Switzerland’s population hits eight million, swissinfo.ch visits the town which has seen the greatest growth over the past decade.

A smartphone displays the SWIplus app with news for Swiss citizens abroad. Next to it, a red banner with the text: ‘Stay connected with Switzerland’ and a call to download the app.

Demographics

Flat-hunting in Switzerland’s cheapest and most expensive municipalities

Aging society

Is Switzerland repeating England’s housing mistakes?

Cats climbing the cat ladders erected on the façade of a house in Bern

Swiss oddities

What a love of cat ladders says about the Swiss

Switzerland leapfrpogs Singapore and Hong Kong in the new ranking

Switzerland regains crown as world’s most competitive nation

The terms of the new agreement gives the US Securities and Exchange Commission direct access to client information from Swiss firms.

Foreign Affairs

US and Switzerland end stalemate over client information

What are your experiences with housing shortages and rising property prices?

Switzerland is steering towards a housing crisis. Are there solutions?

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Apr 25, 2025

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Is there a future for the humanitarian sector? What should it look like?

With key donors cutting aid budgets, the humanitarian sector faces a crisis. What strategies can organisations adopt to navigate this challenge?

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May 14, 2025

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Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?

Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?

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Jun 13, 2025

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Demographics

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Swiss families are getting smaller and smaller

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UBS study: Switzerland is still the richest country in the world

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Switzerland moves up three places in the WEF gender equality index

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Zurich to set income limits to rent affordable flats

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Flat-hunting in Switzerland’s cheapest and most expensive municipalities

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How retiring baby boomers could crash Swiss property market

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‘Without immigration, more than a third of the Swiss population would disappear per generation’

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No house generation: the impossibility of buying property in Switzerland

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Swiss Golden Visa scheme faces opposition

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In Switzerland, migration isn’t just inbound

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Switzerland’s housing shortage: how bad is it?

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What are your experiences with housing shortages and rising property prices?

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Zurich: Welcome to the world capital of housing shortages!

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Ukrainian in Switzerland: ‘I loved Russia…but they threw me out’

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Did you immigrate to Switzerland? What are your experiences?

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Study reveals antipathy towards marginalised groups in Switzerland

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‘It’s political’: why some people refuse to have a smartphone

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When Kosovo votes, so do 27,000 Kosovars in Switzerland

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Swiss youth in vocational training seek jobs less prone to automation

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Dear Swiss Abroad, what difficulties did you encounter when your foreign spouse applied for Swiss nationality?

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‘No kids’ holidays are booming in Switzerland. Blatant discrimination or a stroke of genius?

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Middle classes flock to Swiss ‘boomburb’

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Flat-hunting in Switzerland’s cheapest and most expensive municipalities

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Is Switzerland repeating England’s housing mistakes?

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What a love of cat ladders says about the Swiss

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Switzerland regains crown as world’s most competitive nation

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US and Switzerland end stalemate over client information

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What are your experiences with housing shortages and rising property prices?

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Is there a future for the humanitarian sector? What should it look like?

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Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?