FSO: Switzerland's population is growing and ageing
According to preliminary data from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), the population in Switzerland increased slightly in 2019. The proportion of older people in the population has also increased.
At the end of 2019, about 8.6 million people lived in Switzerland, according to the provisional results of the statistics of the population and households of the FSO. This is 59,400 people or 0.7% more than in 2018. The largest increase was recorded in the canton of Zurich, while the cantons of Appenzell Innerrhoden, Neuchâtel, Nidwalden and Ticino recorded a population decline, the FSO said.
The number of people aged 65 and older reportedly increased from 1.58 million in 2018 to 1.61 million in 2019, an increase of 1.8%. The proportion of the elderly continued to increase, amounting to nearly 19% of the total population, it said. In contrast, the share of the 0- to 19-year-old population declined slightly (19.9%, previous year 20.0%). In some cantons, the proportion of older people is already higher than that of children and young people, according to the FSO. This is the case in the cantons of Ticino, Graubünden, Basel-Landschaft, Nidwalden, Schaffhausen, Basel-Stadt, Bern, Glarus, Solothurn, Uri, Jura and Valais. (ah)
