Where Swiss move
512.5K Swiss live abroad — #106 largest source of emigrants worldwide
Considering a move from Switzerland? — See top destinations, regional flows, and how it's changed since 1990.
Where emigrants go
The top 3 countries receive 66% of all emigrants
| Country | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| Italy | 181622 |
| France | 96066 |
| Spain | 59271 |
| Portugal | 20886 |
| Canada | 17551 |
| Türkiye | 17204 |
| Austria | 16633 |
| Liechtenstein | 15441 |
| Australia | 13265 |
| South Africa | 6305 |
| Belgium | 5711 |
| Israel | 4679 |
| Hungary | 4355 |
| Poland | 4171 |
| Greece | 4004 |
| Serbia | 3881 |
| Denmark | 3323 |
| New Zealand | 3291 |
| Brazil | 3047 |
| Norway | 2699 |
| Croatia | 2696 |
| Luxembourg | 1588 |
| Mexico | 1520 |
| Finland | 1351 |
| Chile | 1342 |
| Japan | 1323 |
| Argentina | 1260 |
| Dominican Republic | 1174 |
| Slovakia | 1136 |
| Czechia | 1135 |
| Slovenia | 1109 |
| Libya | 1050 |
| Costa Rica | 971 |
| Colombia | 852 |
| Bulgaria | 825 |
| Bolivia | 818 |
| Hong Kong | 783 |
| China | 749 |
| Panama | 670 |
| Venezuela | 593 |
| Peru | 561 |
| Malta | 537 |
| Namibia | 473 |
| Cyprus | 396 |
| Haiti | 383 |
| Ecuador | 358 |
| Bahamas | 346 |
| Iceland | 341 |
| Sri Lanka | 293 |
| Egypt | 224 |
| Montenegro | 209 |
| Guadeloupe | 202 |
| Ghana | 189 |
| Guatemala | 181 |
| Central African Republic | 163 |
| Estonia | 139 |
| Maldives | 137 |
| French Polynesia | 120 |
| Mauritius | 105 |
| Lithuania | 105 |
| Cayman Islands | 97 |
| Andorra | 90 |
| Latvia | 89 |
| Nicaragua | 89 |
| Honduras | 62 |
| El Salvador | 60 |
| Bermuda | 55 |
| Tajikistan | 50 |
| Belarus | 27 |
| Bhutan | 25 |
| Mongolia | 22 |
| Liberia | 21 |
| Guinea | 15 |
| Cape Verde | 13 |
| Georgia | 13 |
| Saint Lucia | 7 |
By destination region
Europe is the leading destination region at 84%
429.4K
22.3K
17.6K
16.7K
14.6K
8.6K
3.4K
Interesting facts
Notable statistics about emigration from Switzerland.
Italy is the primary destination for emigrants
Italy attracts 35% of all emigrants from Switzerland, while the second-largest destination receives just 19%.
Emigration destinations have diversified since 1990
The top destination's share fell from 48% to 35%, indicating a broader spread of emigration patterns.
Top emigration destinations have shifted significantly since 1990
3 new countries have entered the top 20 destinations: Hungary, Poland, Norway — Hungary rose from outside the top 20 to rank #13.
A significant share of the population lives abroad
1 in 18 residents of Switzerland has emigrated — 512.5K out of 9M, representing 5.7% of the population.
How emigration changed over time
Total emigrant population by year
| Year | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 396651 |
| 1995 | 420665 |
| 2000 | 440639 |
| 2005 | 467978 |
| 2010 | 491884 |
| 2015 | 499929 |
| 2020 | 507043 |
| 2024 | 512547 |
Top destinations over time
Emigration to the 5 largest destination countries
| Year | Italy | France | Spain | Portugal | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 188489 | 68922 | 39789 | 3766 | 16059 |
| 1995 | 194711 | 73241 | 45330 | 8128 | 17756 |
| 2000 | 193999 | 77962 | 51631 | 12821 | 19693 |
| 2005 | 193436 | 85038 | 59666 | 14775 | 19960 |
| 2010 | 193334 | 91311 | 63545 | 14276 | 20651 |
| 2015 | 189643 | 96510 | 59328 | 16183 | 21785 |
| 2020 | 188643 | 95249 | 57859 | 18566 | 18722 |
| 2024 | 181622 | 96066 | 59271 | 20886 | 17551 |
Fastest-changing destinations
How emigration to each country has changed since the selected year
Switzerland as an emigration source
Share of immigrants in each country who originate from Switzerland