Before 1848, a person from the Valais who moved to the canton of Bern was an ‘foreigner’: in terms of citizenship, rights were only cantonal and the Swiss passport only came into existence in 1915. In addition to this, Switzerland was initially a country of emigration rather than immigration. In the 19th century, Swiss colonies made up of families fleeing poverty were established in the most diverse corners of the world: South America, the United States and even Egypt.
At the same time, the immigration of workers from abroad began in certain specific economic sectors, such as universities, technology and construction, particularly of the railway network. The main tunnels of the Lötschberg, Saint-Gothard and Simplon were built by an essentially foreign and often seasonal workforce.
What is the situation today?
The latest FSO figures (2023) show that of the 8.9 million inhabitants∙es of Switzerland, 2.4 million are of foreign nationality. Regardless of passport, 40% of the total population aged 15 or over has a migration background. The criteria taken into account to determine this migratory status are the country of birth, nationality (current and at birth), as well as the variables of the country of birth of both parents. Of this 40%, 8% belong to the second generation.
Where do people of foreign origin come from? Switzerland is home to 190 nationalities, but 80% come from European states. The most represented countries are Germany and Italy, followed by Portugal, France and Kosovo. This influences the linguistic diversity of the country: 55% of the population speaks Swiss German at home, 23% French, 11% German, 7% Italian, 6% English and 3 to 4% Albanian or Portuguese.
Distribution by region
The distribution of foreign nationals across the country is very uneven, with urban centres, particularly the Zurich region and the Lake Geneva area, having the highest percentages of migrant population in relation to the total number of inhabitants in the municipalities. By way of comparison, some mountain villages in the canton of Uri have 1% foreigners and the Vaud town of Renens, in the west of Lausanne, has 51%. Furthermore, the highest rates in Switzerland are found in tourist regions (55% in Täsch, next to Zermatt).
Some communities are, unsurprisingly, very strongly represented in places where a language similar to that of their country of origin is spoken. For example, the French and Portuguese are very present in French-speaking Switzerland and people from Germany in German-speaking Switzerland.
The question of naturalisation
The percentage of foreign residents in Switzerland is among the highest in Europe, but 20% of them were born in Switzerland, 40% have lived there for 15 years or more and 15% for 30 years or more. Thus, our rather strict naturalisation policy influences the statistics. To obtain nationality, current legislation requires a C permit and a minimum of ten years' residence in the country, including at least three years in the five years preceding the application. Other conditions include knowledge of at least one national language, no convictions for serious offences and no recourse to social assistance in recent years. A popular initiative is calling for more flexible access criteria, particularly with regard to the length of stay.
