Switzerland to vote on “No 10 million Switzerland!” initiative on June 14

Swiss voters will decide on the "No 10 million Switzerland!" initiative on June 14, 2026. The SVP proposal aims to limit population growth to 10 million.

Swiss referendum on “No 10 million Switzerland” this June

The Swiss government has announced that voters in Switzerland will decide on the “No 10 million Switzerland!” (Keine 10-Millionen-Schweiz!) initiative in a referendum on June 14, 2026, reports SRF.

The proposal, also known as the Sustainability initiative, was put forward by the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) in 2024. The initiative aims to limit the population of Switzerland, including permanent residents, to 10 million people from 2050 onwards. 

If population numbers exceed 9,5 million people before 2050, then the government and cantons would be required to take action to curb further population growth. This would include, for example, limiting family reunification and asylum applications, and, in the most extreme case, terminating the EU’s free movement of people agreement.

48 percent support “No 10 million Switzerland!” initiative

The population in Switzerland exceeded 9 million in September 2023 and SRF reports that the country could hit the 10 million mark by 2040, but this depends on a number of social and economic factors. In 2025, the number of expats leaving Switzerland continued to increase and the number of people immigrating declined.

The Council of States voted in 2025 to recommend that voters reject the SVP initiative, highlighting the importance of immigration for the Swiss economy. Many sectors, such as healthcare, construction, teaching, social care and hospitality, rely on workers from other countries to fill gaps in jobs.

In a survey published by 20 Minuten and Tamedia in December 2025, 48 percent of respondents said that they would vote in favour of the initiative compared to 41 percent who would vote against. 11 percent were still undecided.