Switzerland's Population Grows 0.8% in 2025, Driven by Migration

Switzerland's population saw a moderate increase of 0.8 percent in 2025, adding 76,100 residents to reach a total of 9,167,962 people. While this growth rate is slower than the 1.7 percent recorded in 2023, it aligns with the long-term average, indicating a steady, albeit less rapid, expansion of the nation's populace.

The distribution of this growth is far from uniform. Interactive maps reveal that communities situated between Lake Geneva and Lake Neuchâtel have experienced substantial population booms. For example, Gletterens in the canton of Fribourg saw its population nearly sextuple from 200 to nearly 1,200 between 1981 and 2025, while Saint-Cergue in Vaud grew from 560 to over 3,000 residents. Conversely, many small, peripheral mountain communities, particularly in the Jura and Emmental regions, are facing population decline. Zwischbergen, south of the Simplon Pass, lost 60 percent of its residents, and Realp, near the Furka Pass, saw a nearly 40 percent decrease.

Urban centers also show varied growth patterns. While Zurich's population increased by 20 percent since 1981 and Geneva by over a third, Basel and Bern have experienced slight population losses. The overall growth in major cities is generally lower than in rural areas.

Migration remains the principal engine of Switzerland's population growth. In 2025, the foreign-born population increased by 48,200, contributing significantly to the overall rise. The Swiss-born population grew by 27,900 during the same period. Consequently, the proportion of foreigners in Switzerland's resident population has risen by 13 percentage points since 1981, now standing at nearly 28 percent.