How many … are there in Switzerland?
Every year a «How many … are there in Switzerland?» question is among the most searched questions in the country. Here is the official figure for each, with its date and source; the figures update automatically from the federal sources.
- How many cantons does Switzerland have?
- How many communes does Switzerland have?
- How many districts does Switzerland have, and how many does the canton of Fribourg have?
- How many people live in Switzerland?
- How many foreign nationals live in Switzerland?
- How many Swiss live abroad?
- How many cows are there in Switzerland?
- How many museums are there in Switzerland?
- How many hydropower plants are there in Switzerland?
- How many hospitals are there in Switzerland?
- How many languages are spoken in Switzerland?
- How many millionaires are there in Switzerland?
- How many enclaves are there in Switzerland?
- Where is the centre of Switzerland?
- How many kinds of cheese are there in Switzerland?
How many cantons does Switzerland have?
26 cantons. Six of them used to be called half-cantons (Obwalden, Nidwalden, Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, Appenzell Ausserrhoden and Appenzell Innerrhoden); each has one seat in the Council of States.
Source: FSO, Amtliches Gemeindeverzeichnis · All 26 cantons compared
How many communes does Switzerland have?
2,110 political communes (as of 12 October 2026). The canton of Bern has the most with 334, Basel-Stadt the fewest with 3. The number falls as communes merge.
Source: FSO, Amtliches Gemeindeverzeichnis · Every commune with taxes, rents and figures
How many districts does Switzerland have, and how many does the canton of Fribourg have?
135 districts according to the FSO’s official register of communes. The canton of Fribourg has 7 districts. 9 cantons are not divided into districts. In Bern and Lucerne they are administrative and electoral districts.
Source: FSO, Amtliches Gemeindeverzeichnis
Communes and districts by canton
| Canton | Communes | Districts |
|---|---|---|
| Aargau | 196 | 11 |
| Appenzell Inner Rhodes | 5 | no districts |
| Appenzell Outer Rhodes | 20 | 3 |
| Bern | 334 | 10 |
| Basel-Landschaft | 86 | 5 |
| Basel-Stadt | 3 | no districts |
| Fribourg | 119 | 7 |
| Geneva | 45 | no districts |
| Glarus | 3 | no districts |
| Grisons | 100 | 11 |
| Jura | 51 | 4 |
| Lucerne | 79 | 6 |
| Neuchâtel | 24 | no districts |
| Nidwalden | 11 | no districts |
| Obwalden | 7 | no districts |
| St. Gallen | 75 | 8 |
| Schaffhausen | 26 | 6 |
| Solothurn | 104 | 10 |
| Schwyz | 30 | 6 |
| Thurgau | 80 | 5 |
| Ticino | 100 | 8 |
| Uri | 19 | no districts |
| Vaud | 300 | 10 |
| Valais | 122 | 13 |
| Zug | 11 | no districts |
| Zurich | 160 | 12 |
How many people live in Switzerland?
9,127,125 people (permanent resident population on 31 December 2025).
Source: FSO, STATPOP · Population growth by canton
How many foreign nationals live in Switzerland?
There are 2,528,117 foreign nationals, 27.7% of the permanent resident population (31 December 2025).
How many Swiss live abroad?
838,622 (end of 2025).
Source: FSO, Auslandschweizerstatistik
How many cows are there in Switzerland?
672,453 cows, of which 524,354 are dairy cows; 1,528,177 cattle in total (2025).
How many museums are there in Switzerland?
1,104 museums with 14,950,983 visits in total in 2023. The FSO collects these figures every two years.
How many hydropower plants are there in Switzerland?
728 hydropower plants of at least 300 kilowatts (as of 31 December 2025), of which 703 are in normal operation. Their expected production adds up to 40,720 gigawatt hours a year. Smaller plants are not counted.
Source: SFOE, Statistik der Wasserkraftanlagen der Schweiz (WASTA)
How many hospitals are there in Switzerland?
270 hospitals at 596 sites with 37,792 beds (2024).
How many languages are spoken in Switzerland?
4 national languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh (Federal Constitution, Article 4). As their main language, 61.1% name German, 22.6% French, 7.8% Italian, 0.43% Romansh and 24.5% another language (2024; several main languages possible).
Source: FSO, Strukturerhebung
How many millionaires are there in Switzerland?
392,003 taxpayers had net wealth of more than CHF 1 million in 2022, which is 7% of all taxpayers. The count is of taxpayers (a married couple counts once) at tax values, which can be below market values.
Source: FTA, Gesamtschweizerische Vermögensstatistik der natürlichen Personen (via FSO)
How many enclaves are there in Switzerland?
2 foreign enclaves: Büsingen am Hochrhein (Germany) and Campione d’Italia (Italy). Büsingen is part of the Swiss customs territory; Campione d’Italia has been part of the EU customs territory since 1 January 2020.
Source: BAZG, Länderverzeichnis
Where is the centre of Switzerland?
At the Älggi-Alp in the commune of Sachseln, canton of Obwalden. swisstopo calculated this geographic centre in 1988.
Source: Bundesrat / swisstopo
How many kinds of cheese are there in Switzerland?
There is no official count of cheese varieties. 12 cheeses carry a protected designation of origin (AOP), for example Emmentaler, Gruyère and Vacherin Mont-d’Or.
Source: BLW, Register der Ursprungsbezeichnungen und geografischen Angaben
As of: 12 October 2026 · JSON