Population by migration status

In international discussions on immigration and integration, the term population with a migration background is used with growing frequency. This concept is increasingly used to replace the simple distinction between citizens (or nationals) and foreign citizens (or non-nationals), which does not take into account whether individuals are themselves immigrants or have an indirect connection to migration through their parents' migration experiences.

The "population with a migration background" as defined by the FSO includes all foreign nationals, naturalised Swiss citizens, except for those born in Switzerland and whose parents were both born in Switzerland, as well as Swiss citizens at birth whose parents were both born abroad.

Typology of the population by migration status

As many other countries and on the basis of UN international recommendations the FSO has drawn up a typology of the population by migration status for Switzerland.

A person's migration status is defined by combining the following variables: the "country of birth", the "nationality at birth" of the reference person, as well as the variables "country of birth" of both parents.

Typology of population by migration status

Place of birth	Nationality	Place of birth of the parents
		2 in Switzerland	1 in Switzerland and 1 abroad	2 abroad
Swiss	Swiss at birth	o	o	II
	Swiss by naturalization	o	II	II
	Foreigner	o	II	II
Foreigner	Swiss at birth	o	o	I
	Swiss by naturalization	I	I	I
	Foreigner	I	I	I

I Population with a migration background, 1st generation
II Population with a migration background, 2nd generation
o Population without a migration background

Key figures on persons aged 15 and over

Permanent resident population aged 15 or over, by migration status, 2018

	In thousand	In %
Total	7 165	100.0
Population without a migration background	4 374	61.0
Swiss citizens	4 368	61.0
of whom naturalised (3rd generation or higher)	20	0.3
Persons with a foreign citizenship (3rd generation or higher)	6	0.1
Population with a migration background	2 686	37.5
Swiss citizens	974	13.6
of whom naturalised	871	12.2
Persons with a foreign citizenship	1 712	23.9
1st generation	2 165	30.2
Swiss citizens	623	8.7
of whom naturalised	600	8.4
Persons with a foreign citizenship	1 542	21.5
2nd generation	521	7.3
Swiss citizens	351	4.9
of whom naturalised	270	3.8
Persons with a foreign citizenship	170	2.4
Population for whom some relevant data are unavailable	105	1.5

Sources: FSO, Swiss Labour Force Survey (SLFS)

In 2018, about 38% of the permanent resident population has a migration background (2,686,000). More than a third of this population (974,000) has Swiss nationality. Four-fifths of the persons with a migration background belong to the 1st generation (2,165,000). The remaining fifth was born in Switzerland and is thus part of the 2nd generation (521,000).

The population without a migration background comprises mostly Swiss-born, but also naturalised persons (0.5%) and foreign nationals from the 3rd or a higher generation (0.1%).

With the exception of Swiss-born persons who have at least one parent born in Switzerland, all persons born abroad are considered as belonging to the 1st generation of persons with a migration background (more than 2.1 million in the population aged 15 and over).

This group is composed of:

• foreign nationals born abroad (comprising slightly more than 70% of the group: 1,542,000);
•  Swiss-born persons born abroad and whose parents were both born abroad (23,000);
•  foreign-born naturalised persons (600,000).

The 2nd generation, i.e. persons with a migration background born in Switzerland (521,000 individuals), is composed of naturalised persons (52%), foreign nationals with at least one parent born abroad (33%) and Swiss-born persons whose parents were both born abroad (15%).

Population growth over time

Permanent resident population aged 15 and over by migration status, in thousand, 2013-2018

	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
Total	6829	6915	6995	7062	7116	7165
Population without a migration background	4380	4395	4400	4393	4402	4374
Population with a migration background	2390	2463	2528	2602	2647	2686
1st generation	1921	1990	2042	2104	2134	2165
2nd generation	469	473	486	498	513	521
Persons for whom some relevant data are unavailable	59	57	67	68	67	105

Permanent resident population aged 15 and over by migration status, in %, 2013-2018

	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
Population without a migration background	64.1	63.6	62.9	62.2	61.9	61.0
Population with a migration background	35.0	35.6	36.1	36.8	37.2	37.5
1st generation	27.8	28.8	29.2	29.8	30.0	30.2
2nd generation	6.9	6.9	6.9	7.1	7.2	7.3
Persons for whom some relevant data are unavailable	0.9	0.8	1.0	1.0	0.9	1.5

Sources: FSO, Swiss Labour Force Survey (SLFS)

Between 2013 and 2018, the permanent resident population aged 15 and over with a migration background increased, whereas the population without a migration background experienced a light decrease. The increase in 2018 in the number of persons for whom some relevant data are unavailable comes from the fact that people aged 90 and higher since 2018. Therefore, it is not possible to determine the nationality at birth of these persons; which is an indispensable variable to construct the migration status.

In 2018, 61% of the Swiss permanent resident population aged 15 or over had no migration background. In comparison with 2017, this is a decrease of 0.9 percentage point.

An analysis of the generation status shows that the 1st generation has increased almost as much as the 2nd generation (both +1.5%). The analysis by nationality reveals that 70% of the growth in the number of persons with a migration background is attributable to citizens of EU28 and EFTA member states and to Swiss nationals (+27,000). The rise was less distinct for nationals of other European countries and from elsewhere in the world (+12,000).

By nationality

A breakdown of the population with a migration background by nationality shows that the most represented nationality is Swiss, corresponding to over a third of this population. The proportion of women with Swiss nationality is greater than that of men (40% and 32% respectively). The second most represented nationality among men is Italian. The second most represented nationality among women is German. The reverse holds true for the third position, with German nationality for men and Italian nationality for women. Portuguese nationality holds the fourth place for both sexes in the population with a migration background, followed by French nationality.

In the 1st generation, slightly less than half are citizens of EU28 and EFTA member states, almost 30% are Swiss, 12% are citizens of other European countries and 10% are from elsewhere in the world. In the 2nd generation, more than 65% have Swiss nationality and almost 25% are from a EU28 or EFTA member state.

By age and sex

The permanent resident population shows different age pyramids depending on whether the persons with or without a migration background are being observed. The age pyramid of the population without a migration background resembles the age pyramid of the whole population in Switzerland. In contrast, in the population with a migration background, people are younger. The age groups between 25 and 50 are over-represented in relation to the population without a migration background. The average age of the population without a migration background is close to 50, whereas in the population with a migration background the average age is 44 years.

With regard to the old age dependency ratio (ratio between persons aged 65 or over and the working-age population between 20 and 64), it is more than twice as high (36) in the population without a migration background than in the population with a migration background (15).

Overall, regardless of migration status, the population is equally divided with regard to sex, with a small majority of women (51%) in comparison with men (49%). However, the 2nd generation tends to have more men (53%) than women (47%).

Distribution among cantons

The distribution of the population by migration status is not spread evenly among the cantons. At national level, 38% of the Swiss permanent resident population aged 15 or over has a migration background. This percentage is higher than 60% in the cantons of Geneva. The rates are also particularly high in the cantons of Ticino, Basel-Stadt, Vaud, Neuchâtel and Zurich (between 40 and 50%). In contrast, the percentage of the population with a migration background is less than 20% in the cantons of Nidwalden, Appenzell Inerrhoden and Uri (results from the two latter cantons, however, should be interpreted with caution as the extrapolations are based on fewer than 50 observations).

The 1st and 2nd generations are not evenly distributed between cantons. At the national level, the 1st generation represents 30% of the permanent resident population aged 15 and over; the 2nd generation 7%. The ratio is, therefore, 4:1. In certain cantons such as Uri, Nidwalden, Zug, Fribourg and Graubünden, the ratio shows that the 2nd generation is proportionally under-represented (ratio higher than 6:1). In contrast, in comparison with the national average, the 2nd generation is over-represented in relation to the 1st generation in the cantons of Bern, Lucerne, Schwyz, Obwalden, Solothurn, Basel-Landschaft, Schaffhausen, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Aargau, Thurgau and Ticino.

Persons younger than 15

It is not possible to determine the migration status of children under the age of 15 with the FSO data. However, information can be obtained regarding their place of birth and nationality.

Almost three-quarters of the population aged under 15 is Swiss and was born in Switzerland. The remaining quarter was either born abroad (10%: 8% foreign nationality and 2% Swiss nationality), or born in Switzerland and of foreign nationality (19%).

Permanent resident population aged 0 to 14 by nationality and place of birth, 31.12.2018

	In Tousand	In %
Total	1 284	100.0
Swiss	939	73.1
Foreigners	345	26.9
Persons born in Switzerland	1 155	90.0
Swiss	915	71.3
Foreigners	240	18.7
Persons born abroad	128	10.0
Swiss	24	1.9
Foreigners	104	8.1

Source: FSO, Population and Households Statistics (STATPOP)

Top ten nationalities

Children with a foreign nationality (25% of the population aged under 15) are mainly Portuguese, German and Italian (14%, 13% and 10%, respectively). Children of Kosovan, French and Macedonian nationality are also strongly represented among foreign nationals aged 0 to 14.

Age pyramid and sex

Depending on their place of birth, the age pyramid for children under 15 has a different shape: it is rectangular for those born in Switzerland and an inverse pyramid for those born abroad. There are no large differences between girl and boy populations by age and country of birth.

Children according to migration status of household

Data cumulated from the years 2014 to 2016 show that half of children aged 0 to 14 were living in a household with no migration background (44% of 0-6 year-olds and 47% of 7-14 year-olds). A third of children under the age of 15 were living in a household with a migration background (35%). 21%% of children aged 0 to 6 lived in a household with a mixed migration/non-migration background (i.e. comprising persons with and without a migration background). This is a higher percentage than for children aged 7 to 14 where the figure is 17%. The younger the children are, the more likely they are to live in a mixed household.

Links

UN international recommendations

Adapted migration status for measuring integration