Switzerland in numbers CH
Switzerland has 9,127,125 residents (2025), 27.7% of them without a Swiss passport. It is a federal state of 26 cantons and 2,108 communes, governed by the seven-member Federal Council; Bern is the federal city. Here are the key official figures for the whole country, each with its source and year, and the way on to your canton and your commune.
The Confederation: Federal Council and Federal Chancellery
Switzerland is governed by the Federal Council, a collegial government of seven members; each heads a department. The President of the Confederation is elected for one year.
| Member | Party | Canton | Department | since | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | SVP | VD | EAER | Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research | 2016 |
| FDP | TI | FDFA | Federal Department of Foreign Affairs | 2017 | |
| FDP | SG | FDF | Federal Department of Finance | 2019 | |
| SVP | BE | DETEC | Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications | 2023 | |
| SP | JU | FDHA | Federal Department of Home Affairs | 2023 | |
| SP | BS | FDJP | Federal Department of Justice and Police | 2024 | |
| The Centre | ZG | DDPS | Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport | 2025 | |
 Viktor Rossi Federal Chancellor | FCh | Federal Chancellery | 2024 | ||
President of the Confederation Guy Parmelin has announced his resignation with effect from 31 December 2026; Parliament will elect his successor in the winter session.
Photos: Swiss Federal Chancellery (Matthieu Gafsou, Sina Guntern, Béatrice Devènes), used with attribution
As of 10 October 2026, admin.ch · admin.ch · Federal city Bern
Population
Immigration and emigration
In 2025, 204,261 people moved to Switzerland from abroad, 181,279 of them foreign nationals; 133,829 moved abroad. Net international migration: +70,432. Among them 22,982 Swiss citizens returning from abroad.
Most common nationalities of immigrants 2025
| Nationality | arrived | left | Net |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 26,434 | 11,978 | +14,456 |
| France | 20,696 | 9,846 | +10,850 |
| Italy | 18,507 | 10,596 | +7,911 |
| Spain | 11,482 | 5,217 | +6,265 |
| Portugal | 11,420 | 10,601 | +819 |
| Ukraine | 9,015 | 2,211 | +6,804 |
| Romania | 6,787 | 3,928 | +2,859 |
| Poland | 5,291 | 3,908 | +1,383 |
| Afghanistan | 4,340 | 386 | +3,954 |
| Türkiye | 3,852 | 2,798 | +1,054 |
Source: FSO, migration statistics of the permanent resident population.
Naturalisations by former nationality
In 2025, 40,672 people became Swiss citizens, 33,048 through ordinary and 7,516 through facilitated naturalisation.
Most common former nationalities 2025
| Country | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | 8,779 | 21.6 % |
| Italy | 4,120 | 10.1 % |
| France | 3,758 | 9.2 % |
| Kosovo | 2,088 | 5.1 % |
| Portugal | 1,809 | 4.4 % |
| Türkiye | 1,382 | 3.4 % |
| North Macedonia | 1,289 | 3.2 % |
| Spain | 1,255 | 3.1 % |
| Serbia | 1,078 | 2.7 % |
| United Kingdom | 876 | 2.2 % |
Naturalisations in every canton Naturalisation rules of the cantons
More: Births and deaths in Switzerland · Moving to and from Switzerland · Swiss residence permits · Swiss naturalisation · Swiss asylum statistics
Work and income
More: Salaries in Switzerland · Minimum wage in Switzerland · Unemployment rate · Cross-border commuters in Switzerland · Work permits in Switzerland
Housing
More: Rent (avg) · Swiss canton rent index · Vacancy rate · Mortgage reference interest rate · Home prices in Switzerland
Health
More: Health premium, standard model (adult) · Cheapest health insurer 2027 in every premium region · Switching health insurance for · Premium subsidies · Hospital beds (per 1,000)
Taxes and pensions
Confederation, cantons, communes and social insurance together (FFA financial statistics).
More: Income tax (single, 80k) · Tax comparison by commune · Tax multipliers of Swiss communes · AHV pension 2026 and · Pillar 3a 2027 and · Public finances of Switzerland
Mobility and energy
More: Petrol and diesel prices · EV charging stations in Switzerland · Electricity price · Electric share of new cars · Public-transport accessibility (ARE index)
Safety and environment
Public holidays
1 August is Swiss National Day and a public holiday across Switzerland (Federal Constitution Art. 110 para. 3). The cantons set all other public holidays.
More: Crime in Switzerland · Sunshine · Sustainability & environment · Public holidays in Switzerland
The 26 cantons
The map above shows income tax for a fixed profile (single, CHF 80,000); click a canton to open its page. The table sets all 26 cantons side by side.
| Canton | Residents | Foreign nationals | Tax, rank | Naturalisations per 1,000 foreign residents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zurich ZH | 1,632,918 | 29.2 % | 5 | 22.7 |
| Bern BE | 1,076,127 | 18.6 % | 24 | 17.4 |
| Lucerne LU | 441,500 | 21.9 % | 7 | 13.5 |
| Uri UR | 38,581 | 15.8 % | 8 | 10.3 |
| Schwyz SZ | 170,072 | 24.3 % | 2 | 10.1 |
| Obwalden OW | 39,879 | 17.4 % | 9 | 5.3 |
| Nidwalden NW | 45,664 | 18.1 % | 6 | 12.0 |
| Glarus GL | 42,451 | 26.9 % | 13 | 10.8 |
| Zug ZG | 135,018 | 30.6 % | 1 | 18.3 |
| Fribourg FR | 350,918 | 25.8 % | 22 | 11.0 |
| Solothurn SO | 291,583 | 25.9 % | 23 | 10.0 |
| Basel-Stadt BS | 204,157 | 39.2 % | 17 | 18.3 |
| Basel-Landschaft BL | 303,872 | 25.9 % | 21 | 15.4 |
| Schaffhausen SH | 90,087 | 29.4 % | 4 | 15.8 |
| Appenzell Outer Rhodes AR | 57,221 | 18.2 % | 16 | 12.8 |
| Appenzell Inner Rhodes AI | 16,890 | 13.0 % | 3 | 5.0 |
| St. Gallen SG | 544,040 | 27.2 % | 18 | 14.3 |
| Grisons GR | 207,400 | 21.2 % | 11 | 16.6 |
| Aargau AG | 743,768 | 28.1 % | 10 | 15.9 |
| Thurgau TG | 302,806 | 27.9 % | 12 | 11.7 |
| Ticino TI | 359,783 | 29.8 % | 14 | 10.6 |
| Vaud VD | 863,650 | 34.3 % | 25 | 18.0 |
| Valais VS | 376,113 | 26.5 % | 15 | 11.7 |
| Neuchâtel NE | 180,365 | 27.3 % | 26 | 16.3 |
| Geneva GE | 537,084 | 41.9 % | 19 | 12.6 |
| Jura JU | 75,178 | 16.5 % | 20 | 12.6 |
Communes
All 2,108 communes have their own page with taxes, finances, population, authorities and news.
All cantons compared
All cantons compared
Where do you pay the least tax? Where are rent and health premiums lowest? The Swiss Living Index compares all 26 cantons with figures from official sources (FTA, FSO, FOPH, FFA, MeteoSwiss): every figure with its source and year, free and in four languages.
Income tax (single, 80k)
lowest: Zug, CHF 3'339 per year (FTA, 2026)
Rent (avg)
lowest: Jura, CHF 999 per month (FSO Structural survey, 2024)
Health premium, standard model (adult)
lowest: Zug, CHF 447.7 per month (FOPH / priminfo, 2027)
All metrics compared
Income tax (single, 80k) · Rent (avg) · Health premium, standard model (adult) · Lowest health premium (adult) · Average health premium (adult) · Health premium saving potential (adult) · Premium subsidy recipients · Premium subsidy per recipient · Premium subsidy as share of premium · Electricity price · Offences (per 1,000) · Violent offences (per 1,000) · Vacancy rate · New dwellings (per 1,000) · Sunshine · Jobs · Unemployment rate · Cross-border commuters (share of jobs) · Median net income · Naturalisations · Naturalisations (per 1,000 foreigners) · Population growth · Birth rate (per 1,000) · Net migration (per 1,000) · Foreign residents · Fiscal balance per capita · Cantonal net debt per capita · Hospital beds (per 1,000) · Cars per 1,000 residents · Electric share of car fleet · Electric share of new cars · Motorbikes per 1,000 residents · Goods vehicles per 1,000 residents · Gigabit broadband availability · Public-transport accessibility (ARE index) · Solar power per resident · Population in Energiestadt communes · Organic farmland share · Municipal waste per resident · Separately collected waste share
All 26 cantons
Aargau · Appenzell Inner Rhodes · Appenzell Outer Rhodes · Basel-Landschaft · Basel-Stadt · Bern · Fribourg · Geneva · Glarus · Grisons · Jura · Lucerne · Neuchâtel · Nidwalden · Obwalden · Schaffhausen · Schwyz · Solothurn · St. Gallen · Thurgau · Ticino · Uri · Valais · Vaud · Zug · Zurich
Popular comparisons
Zurich vs Zug · Zurich vs Geneva · Zurich vs Bern · Zurich vs Aargau · Zurich vs Schwyz · Zurich vs St. Gallen · Zurich vs Ticino · Zurich vs Basel-Stadt · Zurich vs Lucerne · Zug vs Schwyz · Zug vs Lucerne · Zug vs Geneva
Frequently asked questions
How many people live in Switzerland?
9,127,125 residents at the end of 2025 (FSO).
How many cantons and communes does Switzerland have?
26 cantons and 2,108 communes, each with its own page on the Swiss Living Index.
Who governs Switzerland?
The Federal Council: seven members who each head a department, elected by Parliament (National Council and Council of States). The President of the Confederation is elected for one year.
What is the capital of Switzerland?
Switzerland has no capital in the legal sense; Bern is the federal city and the seat of the Federal Council and Parliament.
Sources: FSO, SECO, FTA, FFA, FOPH, FSIO, SFOE, MeteoSwiss, Federal Chancellery (admin.ch). Every figure with its year; details on the linked topic pages. · JSON