Swiss Identity

From fine arts to cultural traditions, demographics and the future of work, we look at factors shaping and representing Swiss life and how it compares to elsewhere in the world.

Swiss have more spare cash, and desire to save

This content was published on Sep 14, 2026 Swiss households have never had more disposable income or a stronger desire to save.

Aging society

The image shows an elderly person, covered up, lying in bed with a rose in their hand.

Is Zurich forcing Christian homes to tolerate assisted suicide?

This content was published on Aug 31, 2026 Christian care homes see their autonomy and freedom of religion as being under threat as a result of the vote on assisted suicide in Zurich.

French-Canadian director Denis Côté during a photocall at Locarno Film Festival.

Dying with dignity, living with freedom: Denis Côté on ‘Nobody’s Violence’

This content was published on Aug 23, 2026 In his latest film, premiered in Locarno, Canadian filmmaker Denis Côté follows a woman who delivers assisted death to strangers.

Detail view of a thousand Swiss franc note

Switzerland no longer wants to foot the bill for ‘suicide tourism’

This content was published on Feb 21, 2026 In Switzerland, all deaths through assisted suicide must be followed by a medical and legal investigation. This entails considerable costs for the state.

An assisted suicide room, with a glass and a vial labelled 'sodium pentobarbital' in the foreground.

Swiss politicians decide against monitoring assisted-suicide tourism

This content was published on Feb 2, 2026 How many people travel to Switzerland to end their lives? Swiss politicians do not want a precise count. Parliament has rejected a proposal to introduce monitoring.

Pegasos association rekindles controversy over assisted suicide in Switzerland

This content was published on Oct 29, 2025 British families have accused the Swiss association Pegasos of helping their loved ones to die without genuine medical justification. What is behind this accusation?

Readers share their thoughts on how to die with dignity.

What does a ‘dignified death’ mean to you?

This content was published on Apr 3, 2025 More European countries are legalising assisted dying because of the growing recognition of the right to die.

After the first ‘Sarco pod’ death, will Switzerland introduce stricter rules for assisted suicide?

This content was published on Feb 6, 2025 The first death to come about using the Sarco capsule has reignited debate on whether assisted dying should be more tightly regulated in Switzerland.

Actor Tilda Swinton in a scene from The Room Next Door.

How film and literature have influenced the acceptance of assisted suicide

This content was published on Jan 6, 2025 Powerful stories of assisted dying are etched in our collective memory. Now, a research project from Switzerland is gathering artistic works on the subject.

To what extent do you think assisted suicide should be a legally available option to those who want to end their lives?

Switzerland legalised assisted suicide in the 1940s. More than 1,000 seriously ill or disabled people end their lives with the help of suicide assistants in Switzerland each year.

Join the discussion

Dec 2, 2021

245 Likes

385 Comments

View the discussion

Yoshi travels from Japan to Switzerland to die

This content was published on Sep 13, 2021 A Japanese man came all the way to Switzerland to die. SWI swissinfo.ch accompanied him on the final part of his journey. This is his story.

Why assisted suicide is ‘normal’ in Switzerland

In Switzerland, assisted suicide is considered a legitimate way to end your life.

Culture

‘Parfümerie’ at the Biennale: Zurich’s underground club lives on in Venice

Parfümerie at the Biennale: Zurich’s underground club scene lives on in Venice

This content was published on Sep 10, 2026 Paying homage to the Zurich underground club, a performance duo brings the spirit of a cultural movement back to life.

Fifty years of the Maison d’Ailleurs: a mecca for science fiction fans

This content was published on Sep 7, 2026 From prison to sci-fi wonderland, Yverdon’s Maison d’Ailleurs is more than a museum – it’s an adventure.

The threats to ‘Swiss Made’

This content was published on Aug 25, 2026 For decades the country’s exporters focused on adding value, but US tariffs and the strong franc are now hitting them harder.

Read more: The threats to ‘Swiss Made’

Dying with dignity, living with freedom: Denis Côté on ‘Nobody’s Violence’

This content was published on Aug 23, 2026 In his latest film, premiered in Locarno, Canadian filmmaker Denis Côté follows a woman who delivers assisted death to strangers.

view from a balcony alcove over a full lecture hall

When a former Swiss foreign minister turns her hand to acting

This content was published on Aug 20, 2026 At a recent theatre event in Zurich, prominent cast members – with the help of a voting audience – took on the question of Switzerland’s global role.

Ana Vaz’s ‘Hanabi’ seeks lucidity in the aftermath of nuclear catastrophe

This content was published on Aug 19, 2026 The nuclear disaster at Fukushima is the focus of the Brazilian director’s film, which won a Special Jury Mention at the Locarno Film Festival.

Poetry of images: scene of Ghosts and Guests (1989), a long-forgotten work by Swiss film maker Isa Hesse-Rabinovitch. The festival screened two of her films restored by the Cinemathèque Suisse to great acclaim in Locarno.

Young voices, visual poetics and new money shape Locarno 2026

This content was published on Aug 16, 2026 The 2026 Locarno Film Festival paired coming-of-age stories with bold cinematic experimentation, while record industry attendance signalled growing private investment in independent film.

Erotic thriller? Queer magical realism? "The Riverbank" challenges easy categorizations.

Brazil in Locarno: ‘The Riverbank’ sets Recife’s mangroves against the gospel of power

This content was published on Aug 15, 2026 Debut filmmakers Enock Carvalho and Matheus Farias turn a queer romance into a haunting exploration of faith, politics and Brazil’s cinematic margins.

Taking Mexico by storm: Cesaro celebrates the CMLL Grand Prix 2024.

From Lucerne to La Catedral glory: the global rise of a Swiss wrestling icon

This content was published on Aug 15, 2026 Claudio Castagnoli built a global career in a sport that barely registers in Switzerland. He tells Swissinfo how a trip to Mexico sparked his passion for the ring.

Charlie Chaplin was probably the most famous target of the House UnAmerican Activities. His anti‑McCarthyism masterpiece, "A King in New York" (1957), made during his exile in the UK, follows a deposed European king in New York who becomes a reluctant celebrity. The film remained unreleased in the United States for 20 years.

Reds on the blacklist: Locarno revives Hollywood’s radical authors

This content was published on Aug 14, 2026 The film festival revives filmmakers silenced by anti-Communist persecution in a topical retrospective.

Isabella Rossellini holding her "Excellence Award 2026" at the 79th Locarno Film Festival.

From film princess to animal queen: the many kingdoms of Isabella Rossellini

This content was published on Aug 11, 2026 She spoke to Swissinfo about growing up as the daughter of film royalty, her fascination for animal behaviour and ageism in the beauty industry.

Future of work

Switzerland is one of leading countries for remote work

This content was published on Sep 1, 2026 Average proportion of hours spent working at home in Switzerland is 37%, even after the pandemic.

In 2019, interns at the UN in Geneva protested low pay

Inequality in intern pay is distorting the Swiss job market

This content was published on Aug 25, 2026 Disparity in pay for Swiss internships is affecting a generation’s relationship with work.

We asked an AI about the future – its answer might scare you

This content was published on Jul 30, 2026 A few prompts in, Google’s Gemini paints a dark future. In conversation with a language model.

Robots are unlikely to replace human workers any time soon

How artificial intelligence is shaping the Swiss job market

This content was published on Jul 22, 2026 AI experience is fast becoming an essential skill for hiring companies.

A board with dummies and name tags; two tags are missing.

Swiss birth rate hits all-time low as new challenge looms

This content was published on Jun 20, 2026 In times of economic crisis, couples put off having children. Now, on top of this, comes an existential fear: will AI make us superfluous?

KPMG’s study is the latest in a number of apparent AI hallucinations in reports by professional services firms.

KPMG report contained AI hallucinations on benefits of . . . AI

This content was published on Jun 12, 2026 Bogus case studies on UBS and transit systems exaggerated adoption of AI technology.

A view of Zurich and the Prime Tower on a stormy night

Will AI secure or shake Swiss prosperity?

This content was published on May 4, 2026 AI may close the productivity gap left by ageing populations, or instead drive mass job losses and reshape global wealth. Which scenario emerges will depend on choices made today.

The banking sector has been particularly affected by redundancies.

Why unemployment in Switzerland is increasing more than elsewhere in Europe

This content was published on Feb 24, 2026 The number of people in Switzerland who are out of work increased for the second year in a row. This contrasts with the situation in the European Union.

The 1974 Lausanne Congress on World Evangelisation redefined the role of Christianity in Latin America, Africa and Asia.

How a conference in Lausanne changed the Protestant faith

This content was published on Dec 4, 2025 A conference in Lausanne in 1974 permanently shaped the way the Protestant faith was to be lived and interpreted.

Is AI for sign language promising or futile?

This content was published on Oct 2, 2025 Labs and start-ups in Switzerland are working on using AI to advance sign language interpretation, but they face many challenges.

Jean-Stéphane Bron directing his first fiction series, 'The Deal'.

Behind the cranes, Jean-Stéphane Bron exposes the architecture of inequality

This content was published on Sep 13, 2025 The Swiss filmmaker talks about “The Deal” and “Le Chantier”, two films about power, labour and architecture that premiered in Locarno this year.

Demographics

History

Swiss Identity

More

Swiss have more spare cash, and desire to save

More

Is Zurich forcing Christian homes to tolerate assisted suicide?

More

Dying with dignity, living with freedom: Denis Côté on ‘Nobody’s Violence’

More

Switzerland no longer wants to foot the bill for ‘suicide tourism’

More

Swiss politicians decide against monitoring assisted-suicide tourism

More

Pegasos association rekindles controversy over assisted suicide in Switzerland

More

What does a ‘dignified death’ mean to you?

More

After the first ‘Sarco pod’ death, will Switzerland introduce stricter rules for assisted suicide?

More

How film and literature have influenced the acceptance of assisted suicide

More

To what extent do you think assisted suicide should be a legally available option to those who want to end their lives?

More

Yoshi travels from Japan to Switzerland to die

More

Why assisted suicide is ‘normal’ in Switzerland

More

Parfümerie at the Biennale: Zurich’s underground club scene lives on in Venice

More

Fifty years of the Maison d’Ailleurs: a mecca for science fiction fans

More

The threats to ‘Swiss Made’

More

Dying with dignity, living with freedom: Denis Côté on ‘Nobody’s Violence’

More

When a former Swiss foreign minister turns her hand to acting

More

Ana Vaz’s ‘Hanabi’ seeks lucidity in the aftermath of nuclear catastrophe

More

Young voices, visual poetics and new money shape Locarno 2026

More

Brazil in Locarno: ‘The Riverbank’ sets Recife’s mangroves against the gospel of power

More

From Lucerne to La Catedral glory: the global rise of a Swiss wrestling icon

More

Reds on the blacklist: Locarno revives Hollywood’s radical authors

More

From film princess to animal queen: the many kingdoms of Isabella Rossellini

More

Switzerland is one of leading countries for remote work

More

Inequality in intern pay is distorting the Swiss job market

More

We asked an AI about the future – its answer might scare you

More

How artificial intelligence is shaping the Swiss job market

More

Swiss birth rate hits all-time low as new challenge looms

More

KPMG report contained AI hallucinations on benefits of . . . AI

More

Will AI secure or shake Swiss prosperity?

More

Why unemployment in Switzerland is increasing more than elsewhere in Europe

More

How a conference in Lausanne changed the Protestant faith

More

Is AI for sign language promising or futile?

More

Behind the cranes, Jean-Stéphane Bron exposes the architecture of inequality

Popular Stories

Most Discussed