Urban population in Switzerland
Switzerland: Urban population was 85.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in Switzerland, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Switzerland recorded 85.7% for urban population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 13.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Switzerland peaked at 85.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 51.0%, in 1960.
That places Switzerland 45th out of 217 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population in Switzerland, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 51.0% | — |
| 1961 | 51.7% | +1.3% |
| 1962 | 52.4% | +1.3% |
| 1963 | 53.0% | +1.3% |
| 1964 | 53.7% | +1.3% |
| 1965 | 54.4% | +1.3% |
| 1966 | 55.1% | +1.2% |
| 1967 | 55.7% | +1.2% |
| 1968 | 56.3% | +1.1% |
| 1969 | 56.9% | +1.0% |
| 1970 | 57.4% | +0.9% |
| 1971 | 57.9% | +0.8% |
| 1972 | 58.3% | +0.7% |
| 1973 | 58.7% | +0.7% |
| 1974 | 59.1% | +0.6% |
| 1975 | 59.4% | +0.6% |
| 1976 | 59.7% | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 60.1% | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 60.4% | +0.6% |
| 1979 | 60.8% | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 61.3% | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 61.8% | +0.9% |
| 1982 | 62.4% | +1.0% |
| 1983 | 63.2% | +1.2% |
| 1984 | 64.0% | +1.3% |
| 1985 | 64.8% | +1.3% |
| 1986 | 65.6% | +1.3% |
| 1987 | 66.5% | +1.3% |
| 1988 | 67.3% | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 68.0% | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 68.7% | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 69.2% | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 69.8% | +0.8% |
| 1993 | 70.4% | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 71.0% | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 71.5% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 72.0% | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 72.5% | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 72.9% | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 73.1% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 73.3% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 73.4% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 73.4% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 73.5% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 73.5% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 73.5% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 73.5% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 73.5% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 73.5% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 73.6% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 73.6% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 73.7% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 73.8% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 74.1% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 74.7% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 75.6% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 76.7% | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 77.9% | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 79.3% | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 80.8% | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 82.3% | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 84.2% | +2.3% |
| 2022 | 84.9% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 85.2% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 85.5% | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 85.7% | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 54.0% | 51.0% | 56.9% | 10 |
| 1970s | 59.2% | 57.4% | 60.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 64.5% | 61.3% | 68.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 71.1% | 68.7% | 73.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 73.5% | 73.3% | 73.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 76.0% | 73.6% | 80.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 84.6% | 82.3% | 85.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Switzerland
- 42 Belgium 87.7% compare
- 43 Palestine 87.4% compare
- 44 United Arab Emirates 86.0% compare
- 46 Peru 85.6% compare
- 47 Saudi Arabia 84.6% compare
- 48 New Zealand 84.0% compare
More climate change data for Switzerland
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 6,008 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,192 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 4,816 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 4.5 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 171.99 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 476.97 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 472.94 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 4.03 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 1.78 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.1438 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Switzerland?
- Urban population in Switzerland was 85.7% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 85.7% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.0% in 1960.
- How does Switzerland rank for urban population?
- Switzerland ranks 45th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Switzerland data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.