Sustainability & environment: the official figures
Switzerland has 946 watts of solar capacity per resident installed (339'499 plants, 2026), 59.5% of the population lives in an Energiestadt commune, 18.5% of farmland is organic. Compared with Europe, Switzerland emits 4.6 t of greenhouse gases per person (rank 6 of 31, low = little) and recycles 52.0% of municipal waste (EU-27: 47.9%). Below: every canton, the cities, the best solar communes, the Cercle Indicateurs values and 13 European indicators.
Tap a canton.
Cantons compared
Each column is a separate official measure with its own year, there is no aggregated "sustainability score". Cercle Indicateurs values for participating cantons only. Sorted by solar per resident.
| # | Canton | Solar W/resident | Energiestadt population | Organic share | Waste kg/resident | Separate collection | CO₂ t/resident (Cercle) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Appenzell Inner Rhodes | 1'867 2026 | 0.0% | 6.5% 2025 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 2 | Jura | 1'792 2026 | 36.4% | 22.2% 2025 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 3 | Thurgau | 1'674 2026 | 51.2% | 19.2% 2025 | 252 2023 | 37.5% | n/a |
| 4 | Appenzell Outer Rhodes | 1'491 2026 | 72.5% | 24.3% 2025 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 5 | Lucerne | 1'437 2026 | 77.6% | 12.3% 2025 | 300 2023 | 34.3% | 4.5 2021 |
| 6 | Fribourg | 1'390 2026 | 64.0% | 9.7% 2025 | 243 2023 | 40.1% | n/a |
| 7 | St. Gallen | 1'362 2026 | 78.0% | 14.6% 2025 | 253 2023 | 27.8% | 4.2 2023 |
| 8 | Solothurn | 1'119 2026 | 32.8% | 19.0% 2025 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 9 | Obwalden | 1'109 2026 | 100.0% | 35.3% 2025 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 10 | Grisons | 1'074 2026 | 53.9% | 65.6% 2025 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 11 | Valais | 1'044 2026 | 74.0% | 21.6% 2025 | 363 2023 | 42.5% | n/a |
| 12 | Aargau | 1'019 2026 | 35.5% | 13.8% 2025 | 203 2023 | 25.3% | 3.3 2023 |
| 13 | Neuchâtel | 1'019 2026 | 31.3% | 13.0% 2025 | 320 2023 | 34.3% | 3.7 2021 |
| 14 | Ticino | 1'005 2026 | 63.9% | 24.9% 2025 | 401 2013 | 30.1% | 4.3 2023 |
| 15 | Bern | 995 2026 | 50.7% | 15.2% 2025 | 292 2023 | 30.8% | 5.8 2021 |
| 16 | Glarus | 965 2026 | 30.5% | 36.0% 2025 | 285 2023 | 27.5% | 6.6 2023 |
| 17 | Schaffhausen | 964 2026 | 63.7% | 9.6% 2025 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 18 | Zug | 921 2026 | 94.6% | 18.5% 2025 | 244 2023 | 35.9% | 3.2 2023 |
| 19 | Schwyz | 921 2026 | 52.9% | 13.5% 2025 | 245 2023 | 34.8% | 3.5 2023 |
| 20 | Vaud | 862 2026 | 59.1% | 13.3% 2025 | 266 2023 | 41.3% | n/a |
| 21 | Basel-Landschaft | 860 2026 | 41.5% | 20.1% 2025 | 206 2023 | 32.3% | n/a |
| 22 | Nidwalden | 824 2026 | 63.3% | 23.2% 2025 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 23 | Uri | 782 2026 | 52.2% | 14.6% 2025 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 24 | Zurich | 566 2026 | 70.8% | 17.9% 2025 | 258 2023 | 29.9% | n/a |
| 25 | Geneva | 327 2026 | 48.8% | 19.7% 2025 | 270 2023 | 29.8% | n/a |
| 26 | Basel-Stadt | 322 2026 | 100.0% | 38.6% 2025 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Solar power per resident · Population in Energiestadt communes · Organic farmland share · Municipal waste per resident
Switzerland compared with Europe (Eurostat SDG)
Official sustainable-development indicators defined identically by Eurostat for EU countries and Switzerland. Rank low→high AND high→low, because the "good" direction differs per indicator, we do not judge.
| Indicator | Unit | Year | Switzerland | EU-27 | DE | FR | IT | AT | Rank ↑ | Rank ↓ | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic net greenhouse gas emissions | Tonnes per capita | 2024 | 4.6 | n/a | 8.5 | 4.7 | 5.1 | 7.6 | 6 | 26 | 31 |
| Recycling rate of municipal waste | Percentage | 2023 | 52 | 47.9 | 68.7 | 40.3 | 50.8 | 62.8 | 30 | 7 | 36 |
| Share of buses and trains in inland passenger transport | TRN_BUS_TOT_AVD | 2024 | 28 | 17.5 | 15.9 | 17.4 | 16.7 | 23.8 | 33 | 2 | 34 |
| Road traffic deaths, by type of roads | Rate | 2024 | 2.8 | 4.4 | 3.3 | 4.6 | 5.1 | 3.8 | 6 | 28 | 33 |
| Water exploitation index, plus (WEI+) | AVG_4Y | 2023 | 0.68 | 5.47 | 3.96 | 3.48 | 11.94 | 1.95 | 10 | 26 | 35 |
| Area under organic farming | Percentage of total utilised agricultural area | 2024 | 18.33 | n/a | 11.11 | 9.51 | 19.49 | n/a | 29 | 4 | 32 |
| Population living in households considering that they suffer from noise, by poverty status | TOTAL | 2023 | 17.1 | 18.1 | 25.2 | 21.1 | 11.2 | 20 | 22 | 13 | 34 |
| Material footprint | Tonnes per capita | 2025 | 13.93 | 14.29 | 14.7 | 11.93 | 11.01 | 19.22 | 10 | 19 | 28 |
| Premature deaths due to exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) | Rate | 2023 | 15 | 41 | 26 | 22 | 73 | 29 | 10 | 28 | 37 |
| Climate related economic losses | Euro per inhabitant (at constant prices) | 2024 | 29.2 | 89.92 | 61.42 | 28.33 | 101.3 | 221.4 | 25 | 14 | 38 |
| Severe housing deprivation rate by poverty status | TOTAL | 2023 | 1.3 | 4 | 1.9 | 4.6 | 5.8 | 4.5 | 5 | 28 | 33 |
| Population unable to keep home adequately warm by poverty status | TOTAL | 2024 | 0.7 | 9.2 | 6.3 | 11.8 | 8.6 | 4 | 1 | 33 | 33 |
| Population connected to at least secondary wastewater treatment | Percentage | 2023 | 98 | 80.98 | n/a | 79.56 | n/a | 99.15 | 25 | 3 | 27 |
Trend in Switzerland
The largest cities (BFS City Statistics)
Core cities: commuter shares, nitrogen dioxide, noise exposure, latest published year per value.
| City | Canton | PT commuters | Car commuters | Bike + walk | NO₂ µg/m³ | Road noise day >65 dB | Cars /1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zürich | ZH | 64.2 2021 | 21.6 2021 | 14.1 2021 | 20 2022 | 13.2 2015 | 328 2022 |
| Bern | BE | 51.7 2021 | 29.7 2021 | 18.6 2021 | 15 2022 | 9.8 2015 | 374 2022 |
| Lausanne | VD | 51.1 2021 | 34.7 2021 | 14.2 2021 | 15 2022 | 18.7 2015 | 335 2022 |
| Genf | GE | 48.2 2021 | 23.8 2021 | 28 2021 | 14 2022 | 43.9 2015 | 341 2022 |
| Basel | BS | 45.8 2021 | 22.4 2021 | 31.9 2021 | 17 2022 | 17.8 2015 | 315 2022 |
| Luzern | LU | 40.7 2021 | 36.6 2021 | 22.8 2021 | 15 2022 | 16.6 2015 | 399 2022 |
| St. Gallen | SG | 40.4 2021 | 43.4 2021 | 16.2 2021 | n/a | 10.4 2015 | 448 2022 |
| Winterthur | ZH | 36.1 2021 | 40.3 2021 | 23.7 2021 | 13 2022 | 8.6 2015 | 395 2022 |
| Biel/Bienne | BE | 32 2021 | 47.8 2021 | 20.2 2021 | 15 2022 | 15.4 2015 | 384 2022 |
| Lugano | TI | 25.7 2021 | 57.5 2021 | 16.8 2021 | 21 2022 | 19.5 2015 | 615 2022 |
Cercle Indicateurs, canton sustainability (BFS/ARE)
The official sustainability monitoring of the Confederation and the cantons, 16 participating cantons, latest published value per indicator (target direction as stated by the BFS).
| 1.2 Flächen zur Erhaltung und Förderung der Biodiversität % ↑ | GE 3.1 2023 · TI 5.4 2023 · TG 5.9 2023 · LU 7.2 2023 · ZH 7.2 2023 · FR 8.1 2023 · AG 10.9 2023 · GL 11.2 2023 · SG 12.1 2023 · BE 12.7 2023 · SZ 13 2023 · VS 13.2 2023 · VD 14 2023 · ZG 15.8 2023 · BL 16.4 2023 · NE 18.4 2023 |
| 1.4 Nitrat im Grundwasser Milligramm pro Liter ↓ | GL 4.2 2023 · VS 6.1 2023 · TI 10 2023 · SZ 10 2023 · SG 10.9 2023 · NE 13.2 2023 · GE 13.8 2023 · BE 14 2023 · ZG 14.9 2023 · BL 16 2023 · TG 18.4 2023 · LU 19.9 2023 · ZH 21.1 2023 · AG 22.1 2023 · VD 23 2023 · FR 25.1 2023 |
| 1.5 Langzeit-Luftbelastungsindex Index ↓ | GL 1 2023 · FR 1 2023 · ZH 2 2023 · BE 2 2023 · LU 2 2023 · SZ 2 2023 · ZG 2 2023 · BL 2 2023 · SG 2 2023 · AG 2 2023 · TG 2 2023 · TI 2 2023 · VD 2 2023 · VS 2 2023 · NE 2 2023 · GE 2 2023 |
| 2.1 Energieverbrauch pro Person kWh pro Person ↓ | FR 20176.4 2023 · BE 21953.5 2021 · SZ 22352.4 2023 · ZG 23250.7 2023 · AG 23533.2 2023 · LU 23554 2021 · NE 24106.4 2021 · GL 26116.5 2023 · SG 26309.6 2023 · TI 28540.5 2023 |
| 2.2 CO2-Emissionen pro Person Tonnen CO2 pro Person ↓ | ZG 3.2 2023 · AG 3.3 2023 · SZ 3.4 2023 · NE 3.7 2021 · SG 4.2 2023 · TI 4.3 2023 · LU 4.5 2021 · BE 5.8 2021 · GL 6.6 2023 |
| 3.1 Überbaute Fläche m2 pro Person ↓ | GE 194 2013-2018 · ZH 241.9 2013-2018 · ZG 265.9 2013-2018 · BL 311.3 2013-2018 · SZ 355.8 2013-2018 · LU 361.2 2013-2018 · AG 367.7 2013-2018 · NE 369.2 2013-2018 · SG 383.2 2013-2018 · VD 403.1 2013-2018 · BE 413.5 2013-2018 · TI 443.6 2013-2018 · TG 454 2013-2018 · FR 502.1 2013-2018 · GL 507.1 2013-2018 · VS 585.1 2013-2018 |
| 4.1 Siedlungsabfälle kg pro Person ↓ | AG 202.9 2023 · BL 206.1 2023 · FR 243.1 2023 · ZG 244 2023 · SZ 244.9 2023 · TG 251.6 2023 · SG 252.8 2023 · ZH 258.2 2023 · VD 266.1 2023 · GE 270 2023 · GL 284.7 2023 · BE 292.4 2023 · LU 300 2023 · NE 320 2023 · VS 362.6 2023 · TI 400.7 2013 |
| 4.2 Separat gesammelte Siedlungsabfälle % ↑ | AG 25.3 2023 · GL 27.5 2023 · SG 27.8 2023 · GE 29.8 2023 · ZH 29.9 2023 · TI 30.1 2013 · BE 30.8 2023 · BL 32.3 2023 · NE 34.3 2023 · LU 34.3 2023 · SZ 34.7 2023 · ZG 35.9 2023 · TG 37.5 2023 · FR 40.1 2023 · VD 41.3 2023 · VS 42.5 2023 |
| 9.4 Störungen durch Verkehrslärm % ↓ | TG 18.4 2022 · GL 19.2 2022 · VS 21.1 2022 · SG 21.3 2022 · TI 21.5 2022 · SZ 22.1 2022 · ZG 22.6 2022 · BE 22.7 2022 · AG 23.4 2022 · FR 25.4 2022 · LU 26.4 2022 · VD 26.4 2022 · NE 27 2022 · BL 28.7 2022 · ZH 31.1 2022 · GE 37.7 2022 |
The solar communes
The 30 communes with at least 2,000 residents and the highest installed photovoltaic capacity per resident (BFE register).
| Commune | Canton | Residents | PV kW | W/resident | Plants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neuendorf | SO | 2'412 | 13'246 | 5'492 | 127 |
| Courgenay | JU | 2'463 | 13'072 | 5'307 | 250 |
| Cressier (NE) | NE | 2'072 | 10'322 | 4'982 | 111 |
| Buttisholz | LU | 3'510 | 19'046 | 4'921 | 295 |
| Altishofen | LU | 2'040 | 9'398 | 4'288 | 118 |
| Affeltrangen | TG | 2'890 | 11'468 | 3'914 | 239 |
| Hohenrain | LU | 2'467 | 9'731 | 3'844 | 209 |
| Menznau | LU | 3'168 | 12'061 | 3'807 | 254 |
| Satigny | GE | 4'811 | 17'896 | 3'622 | 147 |
| Waldkirch | SG | 3'581 | 12'460 | 3'479 | 410 |
| Grosswangen | LU | 3'492 | 12'130 | 3'474 | 250 |
| Niederhelfenschwil | SG | 3'309 | 11'482 | 3'470 | 346 |
| Werthenstein | LU | 2'161 | 7'352 | 3'402 | 119 |
| Ruswil | LU | 7'645 | 36'408 | 3'361 | 547 |
| Saint-Aubin (FR) | FR | 2'106 | 6'711 | 3'187 | 225 |
| Bioggio | TI | 2'802 | 9'396 | 3'165 | 190 |
| Belmont-Broye | FR | 6'287 | 19'271 | 3'065 | 483 |
| Sant'Antonino | TI | 2'655 | 8'122 | 3'059 | 117 |
| Matran | FR | 2'094 | 6'271 | 2'995 | 177 |
| Steinach | SG | 3'579 | 12'786 | 2'975 | 247 |
| Kemmental | TG | 2'924 | 8'613 | 2'946 | 309 |
| Jonschwil | SG | 3'979 | 11'573 | 2'900 | 241 |
| Hauptwil-Gottshaus | TG | 2'121 | 6'104 | 2'878 | 172 |
| Auw | AG | 2'325 | 6'682 | 2'874 | 182 |
| Cadenazzo | TI | 3'139 | 9'518 | 2'873 | 130 |
| Sennwald | SG | 6'428 | 19'267 | 2'857 | 484 |
| Vuisternens-devant-Romont | FR | 2'410 | 6'856 | 2'845 | 234 |
| Oberbüren | SG | 4'762 | 13'478 | 2'830 | 409 |
| Stabio | TI | 4'518 | 12'669 | 2'804 | 248 |
| Deitingen | SO | 2'409 | 6'740 | 2'798 | 181 |
Frequently asked questions
Which canton has the most solar power per resident?
Appenzell Inner Rhodes with 1'867 W per resident (BFE register, 2026); least Basel-Stadt with 322. Switzerland: 946 W. City cantons are low because roof area per resident is scarce.
What is an Energiestadt?
A label of the federal EnergieSchweiz programme for communes with an audited energy and climate policy (Gold = highest level). 501 communes hold it; 59.5% of the Swiss population lives in one.
How much greenhouse gas does Switzerland emit per capita?
4.6 t CO₂-equivalent per person (Eurostat 2024, domestic net emissions), rank 6 of 31 countries from low to high. Imported emissions abroad are not included.
What is Switzerland’s recycling rate?
52.0% of municipal waste (Eurostat 2023); EU-27: 47.9%. Switzerland generates 664 kg of municipal waste per resident (BFS 2024).
Is there an official sustainability index for cantons?
Yes: the Cercle Indicateurs of the BFS, ARE and the cantons, 32 indicators, but only for the 16 participating cantons and without an overall grade. We show the individual values and deliberately compute no score of our own.
Solar = cumulative capacity of all PV plants in the federal register, assigned to communes via swisstopo boundaries; new plants are registered with a lag. Energiestadt = a label, not a measurement. Eurostat ranks are competition ranks over countries with a value in the latest year. Cercle Indicateurs values verbatim from the BFS.
Sources: BFE Elektrizitätsproduktionsanlagen · BFE Energiestädte · BFS Cercle Indicateurs · Eurostat SDG · BFS Raum & Umwelt · Retrieved 2026-10-01 · Archive release SLI-2026-10-03.32 · Cantons as CSV · Switzerland vs Europe as CSV. Raw payloads (verbatim) archived under data/raw/energy/, data/raw/sustainability-*/.
All content is purely informational and constitutes no financial, investment, insurance, pension, tax or legal advice, and no recommendation for decisions. No advisory or client relationship is created. Consult licensed professionals for decisions. Beta: errors are possible and all information is provided without guarantee. Privacy: Google Analytics only with your consent; otherwise only cookieless, aggregated statistics; no advertising, no data sales.