Small increase in proportion of Swiss residents with migrant background

The proportion of people with a migration background increased by 1.1% compared to the previous year. Keystone-SDA

Some 41% of the permanent resident population in Switzerland aged 15 and over had a migration background in 2024. That is around 3 million people, the Federal Statistical Office revealed on Thursday.

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Compared to the previous year, the proportion of people with a migration background increased by 1.1%. According to the statistical office, around 80% of the population with a migration background was born abroad and is therefore part of the first generation. The remaining fifth were born in Switzerland and belong to the second generation.

In all, 37% of the population with a migration background have Swiss citizenship. Italian and German citizenship followed most frequently, with 9% each.

Among those born abroad aged 15 and over, 40% stated that they immigrated to Switzerland for family reasons; 38% cited professional reasons. Two-thirds of them had already found a job before immigrating. Asylum (7%) and education (5%) were the next most frequently cited reasons for immigration, said the statistical office.

Translated from German with DeepL/gw

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