In a referendum, he rejects limiting population growth to ten million inhabitants. Swiss citizens have said no to the initiative known as ““No to a Switzerland of ten million”a proposal that sought to toughen immigration and asylum policies to prevent the country’s population from exceeding that figure in the coming decades.
The measure, promoted solely by the Center Democratic Union (UDC), proposed the adoption of additional restrictions if Switzerland reached 9.5 million inhabitants before 2050. Among the options considered were changes aimed at curbing population growth, especially through greater control of immigration and access to the right to asylum.
Howeverthe proposal has not achieved sufficient support at the polls. The first polls broadcast by Swiss public television point to a narrow rejection by the electorate, putting an end to one of the most debated initiatives in the country in recent months.
Its defenders warned of the consequences that a continued increase in the population could have on public services, housing or infrastructure. On the contrary, those who opposed considered that setting demographic limits linked to immigration restrictions could have negative effects both in the economy and in the image of Switzerland as an open country and recipient of foreign labor.
One of the countries that has had the greatest population increase in Western Europe
The issue is not minor in a country that registers one of the largest population increases in Western Europe. In just over two decades, Switzerland has gone from having 7.3 million inhabitants in 2002 to more than 9.1 million in 2026. which represents an increase close to 25%.
Much of this growth is explained by the arrival of foreign population. Nearly 80% of the population increase is due to net immigration, while the country’s fertility rate is around 1.3 children per woman. Currently, more than two million residents are foreigners, which represents 27% of the population, with even higher percentages in border cantons such as Geneva.
