Switzerland Demographics

Population of Switzerland (2025)

View live population, charts & trends: Population of Switzerland

Switzerland Population
8,967,407
see live
Yearly Change
+0.51%
Global Share
0.11%
Global Rank
101

Median Age

The median age in Switzerland is 42.9 years (2025).

Fertility in Switzerland

A Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 2.1 represents the Replacement-Level Fertility: the average number of children per woman needed for each generation to exactly replace itself without needing international immigration. A value below 2.1 will cause the native population to decline


Total Fertility Rate (TFR)
1.4
(Live Births per Woman, 2025)

Life Expectancy in Switzerland

See also: Countries in the world ranked by Life Expectancy

Both Sexes
84.2
(life expectancy at birth, both sexes combined)
Females
86.1
(life expectancy at birth, females)
Males
82.3
(life expectancy at birth, males)


Infant Mortality Rate and Deaths of Children under 5 Years Old in Switzerland


Infant Mortality
3.1
(infant deaths per 1,000 live births)
Deaths under age 5
3.5
(per 1,000 live births)


Switzerland Urban Population

Currently, 74.4% of the population of Switzerland is urban (6,668,094 people in 2025)


Population Density

The 2025 population density in Switzerland is 227 people per Km2 (588 people per mi2), calculated on a total land area of 39,516 Km2 (15,257 sq. miles).

Largest Cities in Switzerland

# City Population
1 Zurich 341,730
2 Geneve 183,981
3 Basel 164,488
4 Lausanne 139,111
5 Bern 121,631
6 Winterthur 91,908
7 Luzern 81,691
8 Sankt Gallen 70,572
9 Lugano 63,000
10 Zuerich (Kreis 11) 54,260
11 Biel/Bienne 48,614
12 Zuerich (Kreis 3) 46,018
13 Zuerich (Kreis 9) 44,878
14 Thun 42,136
15 Koeniz 41,784
16 La Chaux-de-Fonds 36,825
17 Zuerich (Kreis 10) 36,216
18 Rapperswil 34,776
19 Schaffhausen 33,863
20 Zuerich (Kreis 7) 33,820
21 Fribourg 32,827
22 Chur 32,429
23 Neuchatel 31,270
24 Emmen 30,926
25 Vernier 30,086
26 Zuerich (Kreis 6) 29,951
27 Zuerich (Kreis 2) 29,215
28 Zuerich (Kreis 9) / Altstetten 28,307
29 Zuerich (Kreis 12) 28,189
30 Sitten 28,045

See also

Sources

Definitions

Population Pyramid

A Population pyramid (also called "Age-Sex Pyramid") is a graphical representation of the age and sex of a population.

Types:

  • Expansive - pyramid with a wide base (larger percentage of people in younger age groups, indicating high birth rates and high fertility rates) and narrow top (high death rate and lower life expectancies). It suggests a growing population. Example: Nigeria Population Pyramid
  • Constrictive - pyramid with a narrow base (lower percentage of younger people, indicating declining birth rates with each succeeding age group getting smaller than the previous one). Example: United States
  • Stationary - with a somewhat equal proportion of the population in each age group. The population is stable, neither increasing nor decreasing.

Stages:

Population pyramid stages

Dependency Ratio

There are three types of age dependency ratio: Youth, Elderly, and Total. All three ratios are commonly multiplied by 100.

Youth Dependency Ratio

Definition: population ages 0-15 divided by the population ages 16-64.

Formula: ([Population ages 0-15] ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

Elderly dependency ratio

Definition: population ages 65-plus divided by the population ages 16-64.

Formula: ([Population ages 65-plus] ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

Total dependency ratio

Definition: sum of the youth and old-age ratios.

Formula: (([Population ages 0-15] + [Population ages 65-plus]) ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

NOTE: Dependency Ratio does not take into account labor force participation rates by age group. Some portion of the population counted as "working age" may actually be unemployed or not in the labor force whereas some portion of the "dependent" population may be employed and not necessarily economically dependent.