Zurich — UN urban centre
Zurich: 689,657 people. Reference: 2025 annual estimate · World rank #783 of 12,138 source urban centres. Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025 (CC BY 3.0 IGO). Source identifier: 1668; territory: Switzerland (CHE). UN source workbook.
Method: Degree of Urbanisation (contiguous 1 km2 cells, density 1,500+ people/km2, total 50,000+). This is a source-defined urban centre, not a municipality or province. No association with a separate administrative entity is inferred from proximity or name.
Source centroid: 47.3808, 8.535. National context uses World Bank estimates, a separate series and geography; no national share is inferred here.
UN population series
| Year | People | Method |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 246,287 | Estimate |
| 1980 | 240,688 | Estimate |
| 1985 | 317,583 | Estimate |
| 1990 | 465,590 | Estimate |
| 1995 | 511,342 | Estimate |
| 2000 | 533,434 | Estimate |
| 2005 | 564,838 | Estimate |
| 2010 | 596,416 | Estimate |
| 2015 | 637,994 | Estimate |
| 2020 | 665,052 | Estimate |
| 2025 | 689,657 | Estimate |
| 2030 | 703,453 | Projection |
| 2035 | 712,094 | Projection |
| 2040 | 716,473 | Projection |
| 2045 | 721,340 | Projection |
| 2050 | 744,913 | Projection |
Largest UN urban centres · Fastest-growing urban centres
What changed during your lifetime?
Turn these figures into a private, five-scene personal world story.
Use this source record with the right definition
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.