The Swiss rail network is expanding to keep up with a growing population
Keystone
Switzerland is still a popular country to move to for the non-Swiss; the population grew by 1.3% in 2013, although the number of Swiss leaving the country outweighed the number returning from abroad.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch and agencies
By the end of last year, 8,139,600 people were living in Switzerland. A total of 193,300 people immigrated to the country – out of these 26,100 were Swiss citizens and the rest were foreigners, according to the latest figures from the Federal Statistical Office.
Compared to 2012, the number of immigrants rose by 10.5%. Germans made up the largest nationality group to move to Switzerland, followed by Portuguese citizens, Italians, French and Spanish.
The number of people leaving also grew, however, but by 2.2% – or 106,200 people. Among just the non-Swiss, the number of emigrants from Switzerland grew by 5.2% in 2013; Germans also made up the largest nationality group leaving the country.
The number of non-Swiss who are residents in Switzerland stood at 1,937,400 people at the end of 2013. The majority of these are long-term residents, and almost a fifth of them were born in Switzerland.
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.
Read more
More
Quotas create dilemma for rightwing employers
This content was published on
“No system is free. There is always a price to pay,” warns Urs Meister of the think tank Avenir Suisse. However, entrepreneurs from the rightwing Swiss People’s Party, which pushed through quotas at the ballot box, seem unfazed. Members of the People’s Party who run their own business and are, or have been, parliamentarians are…
This content was published on
He presented a list of measures, including further training, improved compatibility of work and family, integration of older staff as well as tax breaks for double-income couples. However, Schneider-Ammann acknowledged the powers of the government were limited. He called on employers, cantons and employers to cooperate to boost the integration of skilled workers into the…
This content was published on
The Swiss economy has been the main beneficiary of a key labour accord with the European Union, according to a report by the economics ministry. A record number of immigrants entered Switzerland in 2013, ahead of February’s nationwide vote which came out in favour of curbing the influx.
This content was published on
The Alpine Initiative group, supported by 30 other organisations, on Thursday handed in a petition signed by about 68,000 people, urging the authorities to reconsider the plans. The move comes as part of a broad consultation about a draft bill by the cabinet for parliament. Fabio Pedrina, president of the Alpine Initiative, said the petition…
This content was published on
Under the plan by the group of ecologists behind Ecopop, net immigration – the number of immigrants minus the number of emigrants – shouldn’t exceed 0.2% of the population over a three year average. Ecopop also wants at least 10% of the government’s development aid spent on voluntary family planning. The initiative garnered about 119,000…
This content was published on
Two hundred foreign students will attend the University of Geneva, down from 300 last year, according to Le Matin Dimanche newspaper. A similar percentage drop has been seen at the University of Fribourg (137 to 85). Decreases of 10-15% have been reported by the University of Neuchâtel, the University of Lausanne and the federal technology…
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.