What are the largest expat groups in Switzerland?
By Jan de Boer
New data from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) has revealed the most common nationalities among expats in Switzerland. With the population growing at rates unseen since the 1960s, over a quarter of the population are now not Swiss citizens.
Which parts of Switzerland are home to the most expats?
By the end of 2023, the FSO estimated that 2.417.300 residents hold some form of residence permit rather than Swiss citizenship, amounting to 27 percent of the overall population. What’s more, this number is expected to increase further as migration now accounts for 95 percent of population growth in Switzerland.
In terms of sheer numbers, Canton Zurich is home to the largest community of expats at 459.706 people or 29 percent of the region's population. It was followed by Vaud (284.460), Geneva (218.684), Aargau (198.599) and Bern (190.384).
However, as a percentage of the population, Canton Geneva is the most diverse, with around 41,7 percent of residents being non-Swiss. Expats make up an especially large share of the populace in Basel-Stadt (38,2 percent), Vaud (33,6), Zug (30,2), Ticino (29) and Zurich (28,6). By contrast, Appenzell Innerrhoden and Uri have the smallest non-Swiss populations at 2.066 and 5.642 people respectively, making up just 12,4 and 14,9 percent of their populations.
The most common nationalities among expats in Switzerland revealed
Today, Italians are the largest expat group in Switzerland, with 332.700 Italian citizens, who weren’t born in the alpine nation, calling the country home. Most of these expats can be found in Canton Ticino, though large Italian communities are common across Swiss cities and cantons.
German citizens took second place with 315.963 residents. In fact, data released by the German Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on August 26 confirmed that this makes Switzerland the most popular emigration destination for Germans, with those from our northern neighbour often attracted by higher salaries and standards of living, and the relative ease in speaking the language in Switzerland's German-speaking cantons.
British people the most common English-speaking expats in Switzerland
Portuguese (254.589), and French (157.031) citizens rounded out the top four. In terms of English-speaking nations, British citizens took 13th place with 40.399 residents, the United States placed 25th with just over 20.000, Canada was 40th with 6.800, Australia took 58th with just over 3.000, South Africa ranked 71st with 2.100 and New Zealand was 101st with 865.
For those interested, the smallest expat community in Switzerland are those from the Federated States of Micronesia, with only one Micronesian national calling the country home. Kiribati and Vanuatu completed the bottom three with two expats a piece.
Largest expat groups in Switzerland
In all, here are the largest expat groups in Switzerland:
- Italy (332.700)
- Germany (315.963)
- Portugal (253.589)
- France (157.031)
- Kosovo (115.302)
- Spain (91.393)
- Turkey (70.279)
- North Macedonia (69.155)
- Serbia (58.970)
- Austria (45.961)
For more information, check out the official FSO data.
Thumb image credit: Petr Pohudka / Shutterstock.com
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Jan studied History at the University of York and Broadcast Journalism at the University of Sheffield. Though born in York, Jan has lived most of his life in Zurich and has worked as a journalist, writer and editor since 2016.
While he has plunged head-first back into life in Switzerland since returning to the country in 2020, he still enjoys a taste of home at pub quizzes and karaoke nights.Read more