Population hits 7.7 million on immigration wave

Switzerland's population experienced the largest increase in nearly 50 years last year to place the country among Europe's fastest growing nations.

The permanent population in 2008 stood at 7,701,900 people, according to definitive figures released by the Federal Statistics Office on Thursday. That is 108,400 more people, or 1.4 per cent, over the previous year. Nearly 90 per cent of the new residents were immigrants.

Laws allowing citizens of the European Union to live in Switzerland and vice versa were introduced in 2007 and have helped fuel the increase.

For the first time since 1997 the jump in the number of Swiss citizens was the result not only of naturalisations but also of the number of births. Slightly more than 600 Swiss babies were born last year compared to the number of Swiss who died.

Net births among all groups totaled 15,500 last year, accounting for less than ten per cent of the population increase.

Nevertheless, the overall growth rate is the most significant leap observed since 1961. The number of new residents last year is roughly equal to the population of canton Zug near Zurich.

The growth rate for urban areas (1.6 per cent) was higher than in rural areas (1 per cent).

On the European level, only Luxembourg and Ireland grew faster than Switzerland in 2008.

swissinfo.ch and agencies