Population by place of birth

The place of birth allows to distinguish between migrants, i.e. the first generation, and the subsequent - Swiss-born - generations. This variable and the duration of stay in Switzerland are also important for measuring the rootedness of permanent foreign residents.

Almost a third of the permanent resident population is born abroad. Nearly a quarter of all foreign-born residents have been living in Switzerland for at least 20 years. A similarly high proportion has immigrated in the past 4 years.

Permanent resident population by place of birth, length of residence in Switzerland and nationality, at the end of 2022, in thousand
Place of birth Length of residence Total Swiss Foreigners
Total  

8 815.4

6 519.4

2 296.0
Born in Switzerland  

6 081.5

5 644.7

436.7

Born abroad Total 1)

2 733.9

874.6

1 859.3

  0-4 years 568.9 33.7 535.3
5-9 years 456.9 36.5 420.3
10-14 years 350.0 66.3 283.7
15-19 years 241.0 81.4 159.6
20 years or older 698.3 250.5 447.8
1) "no indication" of the length of residence included Source: FSO – STATPOP

Further information

Tables

Data

Contact

Federal Statistical Office Section Demography and Migration
Espace de l'Europe 10
CH-2010 Neuchâtel
Switzerland

Contact

Remark

Our English pages offer only a limited range of information on our statistical production. For our full range please consult our pages in French and German (top right hand screen).

https://www.bfs.admin.ch/content/bfs/en/home/statistics/population/migration-integration/by-place-birth.html