By the end of 2023, Switzerland’s population had swelled by 145,000 to 8.96 million, according to figures published by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) this week.
The recent annual rise in numbers (+1.6%) was exceptionally high because of the roughly 50,000 Ukrainians who were counted as residents for the first time in 2023.
The population grew in all Swiss cantons in 2023. However, the range of growth was significant: +0.9% to +2.4%. Cantons with the lowest population growth included Jura (+0.9%), Neuchâtel (+1.0%), Ticino (+1.0%) and Appenzell Innerrhoden (+1.0%).
The canton with the highest rate of population growth was Valais (+2.4%). Rapid growth in percentage terms in Valais was largely driven by the canton’s relatively low population starting point and a jump in the number of people working for Lonza, a large pharmaceutical company based near the top of the Rhone valley, reported SRF.
Other cantons with higher than average growth included Schaffhausen (+2.2%) and Aargau (+2.2%), two cantons whose population growth was driven largely by Zurich spillover. In addition, both cantons have been cutting taxes to entice people to move there.
More on this:
SRF article (in German)
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