Age-specific fertility rate

Comparing the fertility rates of women by age allows to observe differences or similarities. It is less an indicator of integration than of assimilation, the measure of which shows the demographic context and the different challenges that the population groups are confronted with in organising their family life. For example, in the political and social climate of Switzerland today, a woman who has her children when she is young will probably encounter more obstacles in training and education and in building up a career.

Note: On the German and French version of this page, the tables have been updated with the latest data. Graphs and texts will be updated shortly.

In 2020, fertility rates before the age of 30 were higher among mothers born abroad than among those born in Switzerland. Between the ages of 15 and 19, it was almost three times higher (around 3‰ compared with less than 1‰). The trend is reversed between the ages of 30 and 44, but only for Swiss mothers. Foreign-born foreign mothers aged between 30-44 years old always had higher fertility rates than Swiss-born foreign mothers.

The same trends can be observed in most cantons, yet to a varying degree. In the canton of Graubünden, the greatest differences are found in the 25-29 age group, with almost 91 more children born to foreign women than to Swiss women born in Switzerland.