Switzerland saw a 15.6% decrease in net immigration of the permanent foreign resident population, totaling 83,392 people. The majority of new arrivals came for work, often with family members. By the end of 2024, 2,368,364 foreigners resided permanently in Switzerland.
Immigration: 170,607 people immigrated, 6% fewer than in 2023. Immigration from EU/EFTA countries (70.7% of the total) fell by 7.6% to 120,546, while immigration from third countries decreased by 2% to 50,061.
Emigration: 78,906 foreign residents left Switzerland, up 4.8% from 2023. This included 60,597 EU/EFTA citizens (+5.9%) and 18,309 third-country nationals (+1.3%).
Net immigration: Decreased by 15,459 to 83,392. For EU/EFTA citizens, net immigration dropped to 53,738, and for third-country nationals, it fell to 29,654.
Family reunification: Represented 24.9% of immigration (42,433 people), a decline of 8.3% compared to 2023. Of these, 15.6% were family members of Swiss citizens.
Labour market trends: After two years of strong growth, the labour market slowed in spring 2024. Labour shortages remained high in most sectors. Immigration of economically active individuals decreased by 8.7% to 94,578, with 85,189 from EU/EFTA countries (-7.7%). Short-term permits for EU/EFTA workers (<12 months) totaled 72,169 (-4.2%). For third-country nationals with contingent work permits, 69% of short-term permits (L) and 79% of residence permits (B) were used by the end of 2024.
Employment as a driver of immigration: For EU/EFTA nationals, employment has been the main reason for permanent immigration, rising from 53% in 2002 to 71% in 2024. Among third-country nationals, family reunification remains the main motive, with 8–11% of them economically active between 2002 and 2024.
Population by origin: At the end of 2024, 1,578,629 EU/EFTA citizens and 789,735 third-country nationals resided permanently. The largest foreign communities were Italian (346,981), German (332,132), Portuguese (263,028), and French (173,353). A total of 40,077 people were naturalized in 2024.