In 2018, the Federal Statistical Office assumed responsibility for the production of the Statistics on the Swiss Abroad, which had until then been compiled by the FDFA. The statistics are available on the webpages of the FSO and can be accessed easily and individually via an interactive table.

Figures

Around 11% of the Swiss population lives abroad. Of the 760,200 Swiss nationals who were residing abroad at the end of 2018, more than 62% were living in Europe.

Retiring abroad

21% of the Swiss abroad (162,500 persons) are aged 65 or over. In some countries, such as Thailand or Spain, this age group accounts for over 25% of the population. In Thailand the majority of the elderly are men and in Spain the majority are women.

6% of the Swiss abroad (45,700) are aged 80 or over. The United States has the largest proportion (8%) of people in the fourth age.

The most popular destination: France

France has the largest Swiss expatriate community in Europe, followed by Germany and Italy. 

The Federal Statistical Office website provides further information, graphics and an interactive table: 

Swiss abroad (Federal Statistical Office)

Swiss Emigrants Europe 2018

Swiss Emigrants Europe 2018 (PDF, 2.4 MB, English)

Swiss Emigrants World 2018

Swiss Emigrants World 2018 (PDF, 2.6 MB, English)

Interactive map – Swiss abroad by country of residence 2018

The map shows the number of Swiss abroad and the number of Swiss emigrants for a specific country.

Swiss abroad by country of residence, 2018 (Federal Statistical Office)