When it comes to crimes, many people tend to think that foreign nationalities are responsible for all these offences in Switzerland. But what do the latest statistics say?
A total of 554,963 offences under the Criminal Code were recorded in Switzerland in 2025, according to the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) figures released on March 23rd
Compared to the previous year, the number of infractions fell by 1.5 percent, primarily due to a 3.5-percent drop in thefts, which represent the largest share (41.7 percent) of crimes committed in Switzerland.
For instance, there had been fewer thefts of cars and thefts from vehicles, less property damage, and significantly fewer cases of pickpocketing.
However, the number of serious violent offences had increased by 8.1 percent. This includes homicides (55 in 2025, versus 48 the previous year).
Most of them occurred as a result of domestic violence, with women being the primary victims (74 percent).
The police also recorded 57,761 digital offences – slightly less than in 2024. Most of them (fell under the category of ‘economic cybercrime’.
That’s the general crime landscape, but how many of these infractions were committed by foreigners versus Swiss nationals?
This is a pertinent question because In 2025, US president Donald Trump claimed that Switzerland’s prisons are overflowing with foreigners – suggesting this was evidence of what he called ‘unchecked immigration’.
He said that 72 percent of prisoners in Switzerland are foreigners tied to illegal migration.
Since then, his figures have been debunked, as it appeared that Trump took the 72-percent figure out of context.
READ MORE: Are Switzerland’s prisons full of foreigners as Trump claimed?
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What do the latest figures reveal?
The analysis shows that 57.9 percent of all crimes committed in Switzerland in 2025 were attributed to foreigners, most of them (32.3 percent committed by those legally residing in Switzerland, followed by ‘other foreigners’ like tourists (19.8 percent).
Fewest infractions (5.8 percent) are attributed to asylum seekers.
What about Swiss citizens?
The FSO figures indicate that 42.1 percent (38, 821 individuals) charged for various infractions were Swiss.
Therefore, these numbers refute the often-used argument, especially by the political right, that the vast majority of criminals are foreign nationals.
However, the ‘Swiss’ category – whether in terms of crime or any other data – includes people who are, for all legal intents and purposes – citizens of Switzerland.
But since statistics don’t distinguish ‘native Swiss’ from naturalised ones, there is no way of knowing for sure how many detainees are actually dual nationals.
