PopulationPanorama

The panorama offers an overview of key developments on the topic « Population ». This pdf file features many tables and graphics and is free to download.

• Population growth: Since the beginning of the 20th century, the population of Switzerland has more than doubled: from 3.3 million (1900) to 7.8 million (2009).
• Women and men: Women live longer than men, and as a result of this difference in life expectancy, women constitute a slight majority of the total population (2009: 50.8%) The proportion is particularly high among 65 – 79 year olds (54.1%) and significant among those aged 80 and over (65.5%).
• Marriages, births: Since 1970 the age of first marriage rose from 26.5 to 31.5 years for men and from 24.1 to 29.2 years for women (2009). The postponement of family formation is one of the reasons for the falling birth rate, which since the 1970s has not been sufficient for the replacement of the population. The replacement level requires an average of 2.1 children born for every woman. In 2008, however, a value of only 1.50 was registered (Swiss women 1.39; foreign women 1.82).
• Foreign residents: In European comparison, Switzerland has one of the highest proportions (22.1% in 2009) of foreigners.