Population More and more older people are living in Switzerland
The number of older people in Switzerland is continuing to rise. This is shown by the definitive figures from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) on population trends in 2023, with the number of over 65-year-olds increasing by 2.3 percent compared to 2022.
22.08.2024, 09:29
SDA
According to a FSO statement on Thursday, there were 1.73 million over-65s living in Switzerland at the end of 2023, compared to 1.69 million a year earlier. The number of over-65s rose in all cantons - in Obwalden, Fribourg, Schwyz, Thurgau and Uri the most, namely by over three percent.
In 2023, 503,600 people in Switzerland were at least 80 years old, compared to 485,600 in 2022 (+3.7%). All cantons recorded an increase. It was particularly marked in Obwalden, Fribourg and Nidwalden, with an increase of more than five percent.
The number of centenarians and the elderly also increased. In 2023, there were 2086 people in this age group living in Switzerland, compared to 1948 in 2022 (+7.1%). The proportion of women in the population increases with age. There are five times as many women as men among centenarians and the elderly (1708 and 378 people respectively).
Population growth of 1.7 percent
At the end of last year, 8.96 million people lived in Switzerland. This was announced by the FSO in April of this year on the basis of provisional figures and has now been confirmed. However, unlike the figure announced in April, population growth was not 1.6%, but 1.7%.
The permanent resident population thus grew almost twice as fast as in 2022, when the FSO recorded an increase of 0.9%. The FSO already wrote in April that this meant that population growth in Switzerland was more pronounced than at any time since the early 1960s. All cantons recorded an increase in population.
