From 1850 to 2000, the census provided important information every 10 years on the structure of the population in Switzerland.
In 2010, a fundamental change took place: the census is now conducted and evaluated on an annual basis in a new form by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). In order to ease the burden on the population, the information is primarily drawn from population registers and supplemented by sample surveys.
Only a small proportion of the population is now surveyed in writing or by telephone. The first reference day for the new census was 31 December 2010.
Thus, Switzerland has a modern statistical system which makes it possible to observe on a continuous basis the structures and the development of the population and households, as well as of buildings and dwellings.Thanks to this new census, today's greatly accelerated economic and social change can be analysed much more effectively. At the same time, approximately CHF 100 million can be saved compared with the traditional census.
The new census is more modern, cheaper, faster and thematically more comprehensive.
The brochure below provides a summary of the main points: