On 26 January 2023, data on dual nationality in Switzerland were published by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). Between 2010 and 2021 the number of Swiss citizens over 15 years old with another nationality rose from 13.8% to 19.5%, a rise of 5.7 percentage points. The number of Swiss citizens with another nationality has risen […]
Switzerland’s population to surpass 9 million in 2023
At the end of September 2022, Switzerland had a population of 8,935,000. Given recent levels of population growth, its population is set to surpass 9 million, claimed the newspaper SonntagsZeitung, reported RTS. Switzerland’s rapid population growth is driven by immigration. On 1 June 2002, the free movement of people between Switzerland and the EU came […]
More than a third of asylum seekers arriving in Switzerland from Afghanistan
As the Taliban tightens its grip on life in Afghanistan more Afghans feel the need to leave. Of the 3.568 asylum applications made in Switzerland in November 2022, 1,266 (35%) were made by Afghans, according to the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM). Nearly all of those arriving from Afghanistan are young males. Women, who have […]
40 percent of people in Switzerland have a migrant background
Recently published data from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) show that 39% of Switzerland’s population in 2021 had a migrant background. 31% were born abroad with a different nationality and a further 8% were the children of this group. Between 2012 and 2021, this group of first and second generation foreigners in Switzerland grew by […]
Swiss asylum centres approaching overflow
Currently, around 800 asylum seekers are arriving in Switzerland weekly, a number that has pushed the nation’s federal capacity to accommodate arrivals to the point of saturation, reported RTS this week. To continue to cope with the influx Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) regularly adds capacity, however, this has not been enough it said. […]
More than half of immigrants leave Switzerland within 10 years
Recently published data follows the migration patterns over a 10 year period of those arriving in Switzerland in 2011. In 2011, 223,000 people arrived to live in Switzerland. By 2021, 53% of them had left. Those most likely to leave within 10 years those born in North America. By 2021, 82% of North Americans arriving […]
Chart of the week: the nationalities becoming Swiss in 2021
In 2021, nearly 37,000 people became Swiss, roughly 11% more than in 2020, according to data published this week by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). The largest contingent of newly minted Swiss citizens in 2021 were German, followed by Italians, citizens of the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, French and Portuguese. Back in 2000, Italians […]
Ukrainian refugees struggling to find accommodation in Switzerland
Many of the 60,000 Ukrainian refugees arriving in Switzerland found accommodation in Swiss homes. Now more and more are seeking independent accommodation and are facing the same challenges faced by others arriving in Switzerland: vacant homes are rare and very expensive. In a typical year net migration into Switzerland is around 50,000. The number of […]
9% of Ukrainian refugees in Switzerland now working
By the beginning of August 2022 there were 57,376 Ukrainian refugees registered in Switzerland. Of the 33,379 people of working age among this group, 3,130 (9.4%) were working. The most common fields of employment were hotel and restaurant work (23%), planning, consulting and IT (17%), agriculture (8%), teaching (8%) and the service sector (6%). The […]
Switzerland unwelcoming to expats, shows survey
A survey of expats published on 12 July 2022 ranks Switzerland 43rd out of 52 nations on ease of settling in. The definition of an expat is based on the sample used in the Expat Insider 2022 survey. This group was 46 years old on average, more female (52%) than male (47%), most likely to […]
