City Statistics – Quality of life in the cities

What's new?

In focus

Atlas of Cities

Discover maps of Switzerland's City Statistics cities partners and their agglomerations.

Quality of Life Indicators

About 30 indicators describe the quality of life in the Switzerland's partner cities of City Statistics

At a glance

City Statistics

The data collection «City Statistics» (previously Urban Audit) provides information and reference measurements on various aspects of the living conditions in more than 900 European cities partner based on approximately 200 indicators covering three spatial levels: larger urban zones, core cities and neighbourhoods.

From 2009 - 2015 Switzerland conducted this project under the auspices of the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) and the Federal Office for Spatial Development (ARE), together with its most populated cities. Between 2016 and 2019 City Statistics was conducted by the Federal Statistical Office, the Federal Office for Spatial Development, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and the eight Swiss cities Basel, Bern, Geneva, Lausanne, Lucerne, Lugano, St. Gallen and Zurich. Since 2020, the Federal Housing Office (FHO) and the City of Winterthur are also partners of the project. In 2024, the city of Biel/Bienne joined City Statistics.

For the cities of Geneva and Basel, larger urban zone communes in the neighbouring countries are also included as the economic and social network extends beyond Swiss territory.

Why do we collect these statistics?

European cities face a variety of challenges: ranging from ageing populations, through migration and urban sprawl, to counteracting climate change. By contrast, Europe's dynamic cities attract investment, people and services, thereby stimulating creativity and innovation.

Cities are seen as both the source and solution of economic, environmental and social challenges. Assessing the current situation is a prerequisite for any improvement, development and future monitoring.

Further information

Publications

Data

Annual national data (only in German and French)

Cumulative data from the structural survey (only in German and French)

Annual cross-border data for Basel and Geneva and national data for the other partner cities (only in German and French)

Data of the partner cities at neighbourhood level (only in German and French)

Old thematic datasets (only in German and French) - these sets are no longer updated, see "Annual national data" for current data

Documents on methodology

Methodological informations only in German and French

Maps

Some examples from the atlas of cities (only in French or German)

Tables

Tables are currently only available in French or German. Please change the language for more information.

On this topic

Quality of Life Indicators

About 30 indicators describe the quality of life in the Switzerland's partner cities of City Statistics

International comparison

The cities can be compared on an international level, as well as their sub-city districts and agglomerations.

Cross-border City Statistics

The Swiss cross-border agglomerations Geneva and Basel are being compared on a European level.

Atlas of Cities

Discover maps of Switzerland's City Statistics cities partners and their agglomerations.

City portraits

Interactive portraits allow a comparison of key figures among the swiss cities partners of the City Statistics project.

Agglomeration portraits

Interactive portraits allow a comparison of key figures among the agglomerations of the City Statistics project.

Our partners

Statistical sources and concepts

Contact

Federal Statistical Office
Section Environment, Sustainable Development, Territory
Espace de l'Europe 10
CH-2010 Neuchâtel
Switzerland

Tel. +41 58 481 97 69
Monday-Friday
09.00-11.30 / 14.00-16.00

Contact

https://www.bfs.admin.ch/content/bfs/en/home/statistics/cross-sectional-topics/city-statistics.html