Switzerland is a country in Europe, known for the Alps and pristine lakes. It has a population of nearly 9 million, making it the 101st largest country in the world. Its capital is Bern. Switzerland has a advanced economy with strong banking sector.
Switzerland is a country in Europe, known for the Alps and pristine lakes. It has a population of nearly 9 million, making it the 101st largest country in the world. Its capital is Bern. Switzerland has a advanced economy with strong banking sector.
* As of 11/21/2025
1 birth
Every 6.4 minutes
1 death
Every 6.9 minutes
1 immigrant
Every 14.1 minutes
1 person
Every 12.2 minutes
33K
100K
250K
500K
750K
1M
The landlocked country of Switzerland is a diverse mix of people with different languages spoken right across the nation. The general perception is that Switzerland is a relatively small territory so how do its population figures compare with the rest of the world? The nationwide census of 2000 revealed that there were 7,452,075 people living here and a subsequent estimate in 2011 suggested that the population of Switzerland had increased to 7,952,600, making it the 95th most populous country in the world.
Switzerland’s numerous borders with other countries mean that there is a wide range of exterior influences at play here. These boundaries include Italy (698 km of border), France (525 km of border), Germany (348 km of border), Austria (158 km of border), and Liechtenstein (41 km of border). The country has four official languages (including Swiss German, French, Italian, and Romansch) and it is claimed that 22% of the population is comprised of foreign workers and temporary outside residents.
A significant proportion of that figure of 22% comes from Italy whilst there is also a strong German community in Switzerland itself.
Swiss (69.2%)
German (4.2%)
Italian (3.2%)
Portuguese (2.5%)
French (2.1%)
Kosovar (1.1%)
Other (17.3%)
Unspecified (0.4%)
The main religion in Switzerland is Roman Catholic.
Roman Catholic
None
Protestant
Other Christian
Muslim
Other
Unspecified
Switzerland is a predominantly Christian nation, with 68% of the population practicing some form of the religion, the majority of which are divided into the Roman Catholic and Reformed confessions. There is no official state religion, however certain Old Catholic churches and Jewish congregations are financed through taxation. A fairly significant 25.6% of the population is unaffiliated with any religion, and the remaining citizens are wither Muslim (5.1%), Hindu (0.6%), Buddhist (0.5%) or Jewish (0.2%).
As far as life expectancy is concerned, figures released by the Swiss Federal Statistics Office in 2008 claimed that the overall figure was one of the highest in the world at 82.1 – split between 79.7 years for men and 84.4 years for women. This has since risen to 82.6, with a split of 80.3 for males and 85.1 for females as of 2017.
As of 2018, Switzerland is the 5th happiest country in the world, according to the World Happiness Report. The residents gave their home a score of 7.487 out of 10 for overall happiness in their life. This report includes a variety of factors, particularly GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, and more.
The borders of Switzerland, and its accompanied neutrality and independence where created in the wake of the Napoleonic Wars at the congress of Vienna in 1815, which were further reaffirmed by the treaty of Versailles in 1920. The population of Switzerland has never wavered much in any direction, which is probably largely due to the country’s political policies.