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Four out of ten Swiss residents have migration background

Paleo concert near Nyon.
People wait for a concert to start at the Paleo music festival in Nyon, western Switzerland, in 2011. Keystone / Laurent Gillieron

The percentage of Swiss residents over 15 with a migration background rose by 1% to reach the 40% mark last year, new figures reveal.

Federal Statistical Office figures published on Monday show that in 2022 2,951,000 permanent residents were of migrant origin in 2022.

Nearly 80% of these people were born abroad and are therefore part of the first generation (2,342,000 people).

+ Two-thirds of Swiss voters concerned about immigration, says survey

Of the 2,951,000 permanent residents with a migrant background, 38% have Swiss nationality. The most common foreign nationalities are Italian (10%), German (9%), Portuguese (7%), French (4%), Kosovar (3%) and Spanish (3%).

+ Immigration: foreign resident population increases by 47,200

The term migration background applies to those without a Swiss passport, those who have become Swiss and those who were born in Switzerland to parents who were born abroad.

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