Net immigration fell further in Switzerland last year
Keystone / Christian Beutler
Switzerland saw fewer foreign arrivals into the permanent population last year and an increase in people leaving the country. Net immigration declined 10.5% in 2025 compared to 2024.
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Some 165,386 immigrants entered Switzerland in 2025, which is 5,221 fewer than the previous year.
Nearly three-quarters of immigrants were nationals of European Free Trade Association (EFTA) or European Union (EU) member states. More than half of the new arrivals came to Switzerland to pursue long-term employment.
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According to federal figures, 82,659 people left Switzerland, representing a 4.8% increase compared to the previous year.
This resulted in net immigration into the permanent foreign resident population in Switzerland in 2025 decreasing by 8,717 people to 74,675 compared to the previous year.
Of the immigrants, 25.5% came to Switzerland through family reunification. This represents a decrease of 0.6% compared to the previous year, according to the federal government. Of these, 15.4% were family members of a Swiss citizen.
“Even last year, despite moderate economic growth, immigration of foreign nationals met Switzerland’s labour needs,” the federal government stated.
At the end of 2025, a total of 1,613,486 nationals from EFTA or the EU were permanently residing in Switzerland. Italians, with 350,958 people, remained the largest foreign population group in Switzerland, followed by German (338,584), Portuguese (264,341) and French (181,501) nationals.
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Small increase in proportion of Swiss residents with migrant background
Adapted from German with AI/mga
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