In 2021, 32% of Swiss had no religious affiliation, just behind the 33% of respondents who said they were Roman Catholic, the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) said on TuesdayExternal link. Protestants make up 21% of the country.
The proportion of people without a religion in Switzerland has risen steadily since the 1970s. In 2000, about 11% of the Swiss population said they had no religion. In a European comparison, however, the figure of one third is not particularly high, the FSO said. In France, for example, over half the country don’t belong to a religion.
People without religious affiliation in Switzerland tend to be young, educated and live in the city, according to the FSO. They also tend to live more in the French-speaking part of the country. In cantons Basel City and Neuchâtel more than half said they had no religion.
More
More
History
Catholic Church in Switzerland still dealing with abuse claims
This content was published on
Some 250 cases of sexual harassment, many concerning adults, have been logged since 2010, according to media reports.
Some of these people had left their religious community, while others had never belonged to a religion at all, according to the FSO. However, people with no particular faith also practised spiritual or religious practices. Almost a third of this group even stated that they were rather or certainly spiritual or religious.
According to the FSO, practices aimed at self-awareness and personality development are particularly popular among people without religion.
At least 200,000 people over the age of 15 living in Switzerland were surveyed for the study.
More
More
Culture
Most Swiss Christians don’t believe story behind Easter
This content was published on
Almost two-thirds of Swiss Christians who took part in a survey do not believe that the Resurrection of Jesus is a historical fact.
Swiss-EU treaties: signatures handed in for Kompass initiative
This content was published on
The committee behind the Compass Initiative submitted the signatures it had collected to the Federal Chancellery on Friday.
This content was published on
Esther Grether has died aged 89. Considered one of Switzerland’s leading entrepreneurs, the owner of the Basel-based Doetsch Grether Group was also a major shareholder in the Swatch Group and an art collector.
This content was published on
The flag of the Swiss Wrestling Federation has been received at the start of the Swiss Wrestling and Alpine Festival in Mollis, canton Glarus.
Figurine heads in Zurich school not considered discriminatory
This content was published on
The 16 carved figurine heads in the auditorium of the Hirschengraben school building in Zurich are not discriminatory, according to an independent expert report.
Swiss political parties report income of CHF22.4 million for 2024
This content was published on
Ten parties reported income totalling CHF22.4 million for 2024, less than in the 2023 election year. The reports are based on the regulations for transparency in political financing.
FIFA loses multi-million lawsuit against Blatter and Kattner
This content was published on
Former FIFA officials Joseph Blatter and Markus Kattner do not have to pay back their own bonuses or the bonus totalling CHF 23 million paid to another FIFA official to FIFA. This was decided by the Zurich Labour Court.
How cancer cells makes healthy cells work for them
This content was published on
Cancer cells manipulate neighbouring cells for their own purposes: a research team at ETH Zurich has discovered that they can reprogram neighbouring cells in such a way that they help the tumour to grow.
This content was published on
The ban on non-residents entering the swimming pool in Porrentruy, canton Jura, expires on Sunday and would be extended until the end of the season, the mayor said.
Natural disasters: most Swiss back forced resettlement
This content was published on
The authorities should be allowed to order forced relocations if there is a medium-term risk of a natural event, according to 58% of participants in a survey.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
God continues to lose believers in Switzerland
This content was published on
Religious beliefs in Switzerland continue to splinter, diversify and ultimately dwindle. But over half the population still prays.
This content was published on
Swiss TV’s culture magazine, Kulturplatz, recently interviewed de Botton in London, where he has set up a ’School of Life’, a cultural enterprise offering courses on how to live wisely and well.(SRF/swissinfo.ch)
This content was published on
Five years of research into religion in society, comprising 28 projects, has revealed that not only are the main established churches haemorrhaging members, most of those who stay within the fold have at most a superficial attachment to the church. The phenomenon of keeping religion at arms’ length was studied by sociologist Jörg Stolz of…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.