More than two-thirds of the Swiss population regularly use more than one language in their everyday lives. Just under 2% regularly use five languages or more.
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Aumenta el multilingüismo entre la población suiza
The proportion of polyglots has increased slightly since 2014, according to the Federal Statistical Office’s language, religion and culture survey, which was carried out for the second time in 2019 and published on Monday.
Whether chatting to relatives or work colleagues, surfing the internet, reading or watching TV, 68% of over-15s use more than one language at least once a week.
The remaining 32% said they use only one language, down from 36% in 2014. The older the person, the more likely they are to use only one language.
The survey found that 38% regularly use two languages, 21% use three, 6.4% use four and 1.7% use at least five.
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French, German, Italian, Romansh, English: How do the Swiss talk to each other?
Switzerland’s cultural scene is linguistically intertwined.
When it comes to Switzerland’s four national languages, 76% of residents regularly speak German (mostly Swiss-German), 39% French, 15% Italian and 0.9% Romansh.
English is the most common non-national language and is regularly spoken by 45% of the population in Switzerland. English is more widespread in the German-speaking part of the country than in Italian- and French-speaking regions (46% vs 37% and 43% respectively).
Almost three-quarters of people aged 15-24 speak, write, read or listen to English at least once a week, around ten percentage points more than in 2014.
Multilingual households
The majority (57%) of under-15s live in a household where Swiss-German is spoken. This is followed by French (28%), German (16%) and Italian (8.8%). English is the most common non-national language (7.5%).
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English words in German: a linguistic cliffhanger
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You’re never far from an English word in Switzerland. A linguist explains why – and whether there will be a backlash.
At home, however, the younger generation is in contact with many other languages, including Albanian (6.7%), Portuguese (4.9%), Spanish (4.9%), Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin or Serbian (3.8%), Turkish (2.8%) and more than 70 others.
At home, a third of under-15s hear two languages, and 10% hear three or more. In the population as a whole, the share of people living in a multilingual household is 32%.
The use of several languages is more widespread than average among people with a migration background. Professional reasons are the main motivation for learning foreign languages.
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The art of interpreting in Switzerland’s polyglot parliament
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Ensuring Swiss politicians can understand each other is challenging, stressful but rewarding, says one of parliament’s official interpreters.
What factors should be taken into account when inheriting Swiss citizenship abroad?
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Probe into wrong Swiss pension figures clears federal office
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Employees of the Swiss Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO) did not breach their duty of care when calculating pension prospects, an investigation has concluded.
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Hotels in the southern Swiss canton of Ticino welcomed significantly more guests last December than in the same month of the previous year.
Swiss collect over 9,000 tonnes of plastic for recycling in 2024
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In 2024, consumers recycled 9,090 tonnes of plastic. More than 600 municipalities in 17 cantons participate in the "Bring Plastic Back" system.
Swiss nomadic people were victims of crimes against humanity, says government
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The persecution of Sinti and Yenish in Switzerland in the 20th century is a crime against humanity according to current international law.
Swiss court finds ex-Gunvor executive guilty of corruption
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The Swiss Federal Criminal Court sentenced a former executive at Gunvor oil trading group to a 24-month suspended prison sentence.
Young adults feel increasingly helpless, finds Swiss generation survey
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Young adults in Switzerland believe they have less influence on the future development of society according to the latest Generation Barometer.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
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Understanding the daily challenges of multilingualism
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Speaking many languages in a multilingual country like Switzerland is certainly a blessing – but can it ever be a burden?
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In a small country with four official languages and an unofficial fifth, what is work like for Switzerland’s professional translators?
When Switzerland broadcast Esperanto around Europe
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From 1946 to 1992 swissinfo.ch's predecessor broadcast programmes in Esperanto. Delving into the archives, we look at why – and why they stopped.
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.