At the end of 2022, more than 800,000 Swiss passport holders were living abroad. The main countries of residence for Swiss citizens living abroad are France, Germany, the United States, and Italy. Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia follow close behind, indicating that Anglo-Saxon countries are very attractive to Swiss citizens.

With the exception of Swiss emigrants to Asia, it can be seen that women outnumber men. For example, 281,949 women compared to 227,134 men of Swiss nationality are living in Europe (55 compared to 45%). In addition, three-quarters of Swiss citizens living abroad have at least one nationality other than Swiss nationality. Finally, it should be noted that a majority of Swiss citizens living abroad are of working age (56% were aged 18 to 65 years).

Source: FDFA, statistics of Swiss citizens living abroad (2011-2022)

Note on the methodology: Information on the numbers of Swiss citizens living abroad is provided by embassies and consulates.

Terms of use: The Migration-Mobility Indicators are made available free of charge for non-commercial use. We ask the users to acknowledge the source.

Suggested citation: nccr – on the move, Migration-Mobility Indicators. Neuchâtel: nccr – on the move, 2023.

For more information about the data sets used, please click here.

Last update: 4 October 2023