The Swiss population has grown continuously over the last decades and now numbers around 9 million people.
Keystone / Urs Flueeler
Net immigration to Switzerland fell by 6,237 people to 40,963 people in the first half of 2024 compared to the previous year, the Swiss authorities announced on Thursday.
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At the end of June, a total of 2,338,710 foreigners lived in the country, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) announced on Thursday.
According to the SEM, a total of 80,684 people immigrated to the country as foreign nationals with permanent residence between January and June 2024. This is 5.9 percent less than in the same period last year.
Immigration of people from the states of the European Union (EU) and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) fell by 7.2 percent to 57,330 people. Third-country nationals – i.e. those from outside the EU or EFTA – accounted for 23,354 people, 2.4 percent less than in 2023.
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According to the SEM, family reunification accounted for 24.3 percent of immigration. A total of 19,623 people immigrated to Switzerland to be reunited with their family members. That is 9.2 percent less than in the same period last year. Around 17 percent of the immigrants were family members of Swiss citizens.
According to the SEM, 35,184 people emigrated during the same period, 732 more than in the same period in 2023. In addition, a total of 27,017 EU/EFTA nationals (+667 people) and 8,167 third-country nationals (+65 people) left Switzerland.
Translated from German by DeepL/dos
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