General Information » Facts & Figures » Population

A national census has been held in Switzerland every ten years since 1850. The last one was held in 2000 and revealed that the population stood at 7,288,010 as compared to 6,873,687 ten years earlier. In the canton of Geneva the population stood at 413,673 in 2000 compared to 379,190 in 1990. This represents a growth of just over six percent for Switzerland but a growth of approximately nine percent for Geneva.

Switzerland now faces a major challenge in terms of social security for several reasons. Life expectancy in Switzerland has shot up over the last century, more so among women (82.5 years in 1998) than men (76.5 years in 1998). The number of people over 64 has doubled in the last 50 years and the number of people aged over 80 has quadrupled. Meanwhile, the number of under twenties has declined over the same period, now representing only about 25% of the population compared with 30% in 1950. Consequently, the number of people contributing to social security is decreasing while the number receiving benefits is increasing.

Housing is also becoming a problem in a country with limited space because the average size of households is decreasing. In 1960 only 15% of households consisted of a single person, compared to 30% by 1990. Two person households have increased from 26% to 33% over the same period, while the number of households with four or more persons is declining.

In 2001 about 20% of the population of Switzerland was foreign. The percentage varies between cantons, but Geneva has the highest proportion of foreigners (37.6%).