Swiss population hits 7.9 million

The Federal Statistics Office has published the results of its latest census, revealing that Switzerland has nearly 7.9 million residents.

As of December 2010, the population numbered 7,870,100 – an increase of 84,300 people (1.1 per cent) over 2009. The rise is comparable with the previous couple of years, according to the census report, issued on Thursday.

The total number of foreigners living in Switzerland was 1,766,300 by the end of 2010 – 52,300 more than at the end of 2009. That is 22.4 per cent of the overall population.

Italian (16.3 per cent), German (14.9 per cent), Portuguese (12 per cent) and Serbian (6.9 per cent) are the most common foreign nationalities.

The figures include permanent residents of all nationalities, but not asylum seekers or people with short-term permits. They would account for another 70,800 people.