Switzerland has 1,040,400 hectares of agricultural land. The many meadows and fields used for farming equate to a quarter of the country’s total area and are the mainstay of domestic food production. No wonder then that with 13.4 million chickens, Switzerland has more hens than humans. Source: Federal Statistical Office, 2025
Twenty-one per cent of Swiss have at least two nationalities, up from 14 per cent in 2010. In French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino almost twice as many people have more than one nationality than in German-speaking Switzerland. And most dual nationals either hold Italian, French or German citizenship. Such plurality is increasing. Source: Federal Statistical Office, 2024 survey
Society may be becoming more polarised, but 76 per cent of Switzerland’s inhabitants believe that direct democracy is our country’s most important unifying factor. Immigrants and expats think that Switzerland is a more united country than the Swiss themselves would have you believe. Source: Sotomo, Barometer: Zusammenhalt in der Schweiz, 2025
But remember: taking your shoes off is key to successful integration. In Switzerland, 98 per cent of us do this before we enter our (or anyone else’s) home. Yet half of all households argue every month about keeping the rooms tidy. Source: Sotomo, IKEA Home Life Monitor 2025
Some 83,000 people left Switzerland in 2025, with net immigration to the country standing at 75,000. The number of asylum applications fell to 25,781. This is an area attracting heated debate. In a land of multiple nationalities, more than a few hens and considerable codetermination, maybe it is because identity is more than just a number. Source: State Secretariat for Migration, 2025
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