English and other foreign languages on rise in Switzerland
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Listening: English and other foreign languages on rise in Switzerland
The proportion of people in Switzerland whose main language is not one of the four national languages – German, French, Italian or Romansh - has risen significantly in recent years, according to the Federal Statistical Office.
German was the most widely spoken language in Switzerland in 2023, followed by “other languages”, with French in third place, the office said on Monday.
Almost two-thirds (66%) of permanent residents speak German as their main language, while 24% use a non-national language. In German-speaking Switzerland, people speak in dialect but write in standard German.
French is spoken by 23%, followed by Italian (8%) and Romansh (0.5%).
While the percentage of French-speakers has risen over the last five years, German, Italian and Romansh have slipped.
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Languages in Switzerland
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Switzerland has four national languages: French, German, Italian and Romansh. English is often used to bridge the divides.
In total, 17% of people in Switzerland speak two or more main languages, 39% do so at work and 44% of children in Switzerland are in contact with several languages at home.
Do you speak English?
Among the non-national languages, English stands out. In 2023, 6% of the permanent resident population said English was their main everyday language, compared with 4% in 2010.
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English as a common language in Switzerland: a positive or a problem?
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It’s not unusual to hear Swiss people from different parts of the country chatting away in English. But what does it mean for national identity?
Meanwhile, 3% said their main language was Portuguese or Albanian, followed by Spanish and Serbian/Croatian (all 2%).
English is also an important language in the workplace. In 2023, 23% of the working population spoke English at work. This was almost as much as French (28%) and well ahead of Italian (8%), according to the statistics office.
Translated from French with DeepL/sb
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