More foreign nationals live in the city and canton of Geneva than almost anywhere else in Switzerland. New data reveals who these people are.
Recently published figures from the canton’s statistics office (OCSTAT), show that Geneva continues to be Switzerland’s most international region, and a ‘melting pot’ of various nationalities.
With 220,024 foreign residents (out of the total of 639,000 people who lived in Geneva at the end of 2024), non-Swiss represent over 41 percent of the canton’s population.
However, the real number is even higher — that’s because dual nationals (of Switzerland and another country) are not counted in the statistics because they are considered Swiss, not foreigners.
This is the overall number for Geneva, but six municipalities within the canton exceed this average: Pregny-Chambésy (49.9 percent), City of Geneva (49.7 percent), Meyrin (45.9 percent), Vernier (45.6 percent), Le Grand-Saconnex (44.8 percent), and Versoix (43.9 percent).
Where do most of Geneva’s foreigners come from?
The majority (58 percent) are from the EU or EFTA (Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein), while 13 percent are from other European countries — mainly Kosovo, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine.
With a cumulative total of 70,000 nationals, the French and Portuguese citizens constitute the majority of Geneva’s foreign population, ahead of Italians (20,890) and Spaniards (16,680).
(Note that these numbers include only those who live in Switzerland, and not the over 112,000 cross-worker commuters from France who come to work in Geneva each day).
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Why do so many foreign nationals settle in Geneva?
The presence of the United Nations is a big factor, as its 40 organisations employ tens of thousands of people — most of them from abroad. (However, this is about to change, as the Trump administration is withdrawing a number of US diplomats from Geneva)
Additionally, Geneva is the hub of private banking, so many foreigners work in the local international finance sector.
And it is an important science hub as well, with the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) attracting hundreds of foreign specialists.
