Before the pandemic, the number of births in Switzerland was falling. Then the number shot up as the pandemic waned. Between 2020 and 2021 the birthrate rose by 4%. However, in 2022, the rate fell by nearly 10%, according to Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office (FSO). In 2022, the birth rate was lower than it has […]
Switzerland experimenting with 24 hour asylum decisions
To reduce the pressure on an overloaded asylum system Switzerland has started a pilot system to processes certain asylum requests within 24 hours, reported RTS. The fast-track asylum process will be tested on groups of asylum seekers with low rates of success, in particular those arriving from the North African nations of Algeria, Libya, Morocco […]
What makes someone Swiss – a survey
A survey run by gfs.bern that asked more than 57,000 people what makes someone Swiss was published by RTS this week. One of the takeaways from the survey is that a person’s behaviour is more important than their origin. 54% said that origin was of secondary importance when establishing Swissness. The most important behaviour for […]
Swiss village hits back at cow bell haters
The sound of cow bells is an integral feature of Switzerland’s image, conjuring up idilic alpine scenes of cows roaming freely, chomping on grass. However, these same clanging bells can be less than idilic when you’re trying to sleep. In the small Bernese town of Aarwangen several poorly rested newcomers have complained. Town locals, shocked […]
Serious sporting accidents on the rise in Switzerland
The number of serious sporting accidents in Switzerland continues to rise, according to BPA an accident prevention agency. Over the last 10 years the numbers of accidents from hiking and mountain biking have risen by close to 50%. Every year around 430,000 people are injured while engaging in leisure and sporting activities. Among these injuries […]
Stockholm launches campaign against the confusion between Switzerland and Sweden
Switzerland and Sweden are sometimes confused for reasons unknown to many. This week, Visit Sweden, the tourist office of the more northerly of the two European nations with names starting with “Sw”, launched a marketing campaign/negotiation off the back of this confusion. Switzerland gets to promote LSD (it was invented there) but Sweden gets to […]
Switzerland breaks donation record in 2022
Total donations made in Switzerland reached CHF 2.5 billion in 2022, a record according to Zewo, an auditor of charities. The record figure was partly driven by the CHF 418 million donated to Ukraine. The CHF 2.5 billion donated in 2022 was 22% higher than the total in 2021 and 38% than the total in […]
Switzerland’s birthrate drops sharply in 2022
Statistics published this week by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) show an 8% annual fall in the number of natural births in Switzerland. In 2022, there were 82,371 births, down 8.1% from 89,644 in 2021. The recent fall in births follows a rise of 4.3% in 2021 following the end of the Covid-19 pandemic. In […]
Pre-election poll shows drift to right in Switzerland
The last poll before Switzerland’s federal election on 22 October 2023 shows a drift right compared to Switzerland’s federal election in 2019. The poll run by Sotomo on behalf of Switzerland’s state broadcaster between 22 September and 5 October 2023, shows clear winners and losers. Parties on the rise include the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP) […]
More than a quarter of Switzerland’s doctors over 60
As Switzerland’s population ages so do its doctors. In 2021, more than a quarter of doctors were more than 60 years old, according to data published by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). At the end of 2021 Switzerland had 25,439 doctors working in doctors’ surgeries or outpatient centres, a rate of nearly 3 per 1,000 […]
