The number of residents without a religious faith has leapt over the past 20 years. In 2019, almost one-third (29.5%) of those over 15 did not belong to any religion, compared to 11.4% in 2000.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/sm
Português
pt
Pessoas sem religião são quase 30% da população suíça
The percentage of non-believers in Switzerland in 2019 rose by 1.6 percentage points more than the year before, according to figures released by the Federal Statistical Office on Tuesday.
Among foreign residents, 35.1% have no religious affiliation – 1.7 percentage points more than in 2018.
For Swiss nationals, the figure is slightly lower (27.6%), but rose by 1.5 percentage points in the space of a year. The proportion of people without any religious affiliation is particularly high among academics, where it stands at 43.7%, and in top management, where one in three has no religion.
Overall, 34.4% of adults living in Switzerland in 2019 said they were Roman Catholic; 22.5% were Protestant. Each religion had lost a fraction of a percentage point since 2018.
Fifty years ago, practically everyone in Switzerland belonged to one of the two national churches, with Protestants slightly outnumbering Catholics.
After a slight decline in 2018, the number of Muslims has increased slightly to 5.5% percent of the population, compared to 5.3% the year before. Jewish communities account for 0.2% of the population, less than half the size of the Hindu and Buddhist communities, which account for 0.6% and 0.5% respectively, unchanged from the previous year.
The general decline in religious affiliation is also reflected in practice: more than a third of adults living in Switzerland never attend religious services, and 45% had not prayed in the 12 months prior to the survey. At least a quarter say they have a daily conversation with God.
More
More
God continues to lose believers in Switzerland
This content was published on
Religious beliefs in Switzerland continue to splinter, diversify and ultimately dwindle. But over half the population still prays.
Swiss central banker wants to boost equity to head off risks
This content was published on
Equity levels at the Swiss National Bank (SNB) are much too low for the risks its large balance sheet poses, according to Martin Schlegel.
Beer sales in Switzerland watered down by bad weather
This content was published on
The past brewing year fell through in Switzerland, partly due to the bad weather. Beer sales shrank again. For the first time, per capita consumption fell below the 50 liter mark.
Compensation for Syrian after pregnant wife denied help on Swiss train
This content was published on
Switzerland’s Federal Court has partially upheld the appeal of a Syrian family being deported from Switzerland to Italy in 2014. The man now also receives compensation.
Swiss-EU negotiations: Cassis to meet Sefcovic in Bern
This content was published on
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis will meet the Vice-President of the EU Commission, Maros Sefcovic, in Bern on Wednesday.
Swiss population projected to top 10 million by 2050
This content was published on
Those 65 and older will see their ranks swell, while the working-age population will grow more slowly, according to the Federal Statistical Office.
This content was published on
In 2019, the Swiss population grew in size, aged, and became slightly more foreign, according to annual statistics published on Thursday.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
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.