More than two-thirds of the Swiss population regularly use more than one language in their everyday lives. Just under 2% regularly use five languages or more.
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Aumenta el multilingüismo entre la población suiza
The proportion of polyglots has increased slightly since 2014, according to the Federal Statistical Office’s language, religion and culture survey, which was carried out for the second time in 2019 and published on Monday.
Whether chatting to relatives or work colleagues, surfing the internet, reading or watching TV, 68% of over-15s use more than one language at least once a week.
The remaining 32% said they use only one language, down from 36% in 2014. The older the person, the more likely they are to use only one language.
The survey found that 38% regularly use two languages, 21% use three, 6.4% use four and 1.7% use at least five.
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French, German, Italian, Romansh, English: How do the Swiss talk to each other?
Switzerland’s cultural scene is linguistically intertwined.
When it comes to Switzerland’s four national languages, 76% of residents regularly speak German (mostly Swiss-German), 39% French, 15% Italian and 0.9% Romansh.
English is the most common non-national language and is regularly spoken by 45% of the population in Switzerland. English is more widespread in the German-speaking part of the country than in Italian- and French-speaking regions (46% vs 37% and 43% respectively).
Almost three-quarters of people aged 15-24 speak, write, read or listen to English at least once a week, around ten percentage points more than in 2014.
Multilingual households
The majority (57%) of under-15s live in a household where Swiss-German is spoken. This is followed by French (28%), German (16%) and Italian (8.8%). English is the most common non-national language (7.5%).
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English words in German: a linguistic cliffhanger
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You’re never far from an English word in Switzerland. A linguist explains why – and whether there will be a backlash.
At home, however, the younger generation is in contact with many other languages, including Albanian (6.7%), Portuguese (4.9%), Spanish (4.9%), Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin or Serbian (3.8%), Turkish (2.8%) and more than 70 others.
At home, a third of under-15s hear two languages, and 10% hear three or more. In the population as a whole, the share of people living in a multilingual household is 32%.
The use of several languages is more widespread than average among people with a migration background. Professional reasons are the main motivation for learning foreign languages.
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The art of interpreting in Switzerland’s polyglot parliament
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Ensuring Swiss politicians can understand each other is challenging, stressful but rewarding, says one of parliament’s official interpreters.
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?
Rhine could warm by up to 4°C by 2100, scientists warn
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The water temperature of the Rhine River could rise by up to 4.2° degrees Celsius by the end of the century due to the warming planet, scientists warn.
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The Federal Council wants to explore the possibilities of joining the European Union’s €800-billion rearmament programme without compromising Swiss neutrality.
Defence Minister Pfister stresses importance of Swiss mission in Balkans
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During a visit to the Balkans region last week, Swiss Defence Minister Martin Pfister met Swisscoy peacekeeping troops in Kosovo.
Premiere for Swiss Air Force on French National Day
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On July 14, the Swiss Air Force will take part in the traditional air parade in Paris to mark the French bank holidays with an F/A-18 fighter jet. This is a first for Switzerland.
Swiss launch competition for memorial to Nazi victims
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The victims of Nazi Germany are to be commemorated on the Casinoterrasse in Bern. A competition will be held to determine what the site will look like.
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The cantonal police of Graubünden in eastern Switzerland have arrested and convicted five cocaine dealers in Chur within a week.
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The Swiss business umbrella organisation Economiesuisse and the employers' association broadly support the package of agreements negotiated with the European Union.
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.
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Understanding the daily challenges of multilingualism
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Speaking many languages in a multilingual country like Switzerland is certainly a blessing – but can it ever be a burden?
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In a small country with four official languages and an unofficial fifth, what is work like for Switzerland’s professional translators?
When Switzerland broadcast Esperanto around Europe
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From 1946 to 1992 swissinfo.ch's predecessor broadcast programmes in Esperanto. Delving into the archives, we look at why – and why they stopped.
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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.