Switzerland Population
Switzerland had an estimated population of 9,092,436 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 98th most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.11% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of +0.96% a year.
Switzerland at a glance
How Switzerland's population is changing
Switzerland's population is growing: +0.96% a year, which works out to about +87,271 people per year, or +239 a day. Births (8.7 per 1,000) and deaths (8.0 per 1,000) alone would give +0.07% a year; net migration adds about 37,253 people a year (+0.41%). Roughly one in every 904 people on Earth lives in Switzerland.
Population of Switzerland since 1960
In 1960, Switzerland had 5,327,827 people. By 2025 that was 9,092,436 — 1.7× larger. The fastest growth came between 1960 and 1970, when the population rose by 16%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 5,327,827 | — |
| 1970 | 6,180,877 | +16.0% |
| 1980 | 6,319,408 | +2.2% |
| 1990 | 6,715,519 | +6.3% |
| 2000 | 7,184,250 | +7.0% |
| 2010 | 7,824,909 | +8.9% |
| 2020 | 8,638,167 | +10.4% |
| 2025 | 9,092,436 | +5.3% |
Switzerland from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Switzerland at about 1,750,000 people in 1800; the UN estimates 8,967,413 in 2025 (5× 1800) and projects 9,126,130 for 2100 in its medium scenario. The population is projected to peak around 2052 at 9,343,514 and decline afterwards.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 1,750,000 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 2,376,868 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 3,297,641 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 4,692,642 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 7,184,003 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 8,967,413 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 9,342,590 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 9,142,532 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 9,126,130 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Switzerland
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 9,092,436. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zürich | 689,657 | UN urban centre | 7.58% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Geneva | 436,587 | UN urban centre | 4.80% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 3 | Basel | 333,021 | UN urban centre | 3.66% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 4 | Lausanne | 293,509 | UN urban centre | 3.23% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 5 | Bern | 206,716 | UN urban centre | 2.27% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 6 | Winterthur | 103,553 | UN urban centre | 1.14% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 7 | Lugano | 93,677 | UN urban centre | 1.03% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 8 | Luzern | 81,691 | GeoNames settlement | 0.90% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 9 | Sankt Gallen | 75,833 | GeoNames settlement | 0.83% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 10 | Biel/Bienne | 72,704 | UN urban centre | 0.80% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
How Switzerland compares
Switzerland has almost the same population as Belarus (9,085,991).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Switzerland | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #96 |  Hungary | 9,514,251 | +5% | compare → |
| #97 |  Austria | 9,208,163 | +1% | compare → |
| #99 |  Belarus | 9,085,991 | −0% | compare → |
| #100 |  Sierra Leone | 8,819,794 | −3% | compare → |
Compare Switzerland with any country →
Same region (Europe & Central Asia): Russia, Türkiye, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy.
Explore around Switzerland
Land neighbours (4)
Germany 83,491,249 · 9.2× the population · compare
France 68,720,337 · 7.6× the population · compare
Italy 58,915,656 · 6.5× the population · compare- Austria 9,208,163 · about the same population · compare
Switzerland's 4 neighbours together hold 220,335,405 people — 24.2× Switzerland's population. The most populous is Germany (83,491,249).
In its region
Switzerland is the 23rd most populous of the 58 economies in Europe & Central Asia, holding 1.0% of the region's 932,525,035 people.
Rankings featuring Switzerland
Cities
Zürich, Geneva, Basel, Lausanne, Bern, Winterthur, Lugano, Luzern — all Switzerland's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Switzerland when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
What changed during your lifetime?
Turn these figures into a private, five-scene personal world story.
Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.