The age of Switzerland, municipality by municipality

Two almost equal shares nationwide

At national level, the two age groups carry comparable weight. People aged 65 or over account for 19.6 % of the population, those under 20 for 19.9 %. The gap between the two shares is 0.3 percentage points. According to the FSO survey, these values relate to the permanent resident population of the country’s 2’110 municipalities.

The picture across municipalities is far more varied. Of the 1’456 municipalities with at least 1’000 residents, the basis for every ranking presented here, 160 have at least 25 % of residents aged 65 or over and 91 stay below 15 %. Between the two ends of this ranking, Brissago (TI) and Chavannes-près-Renens (VD), the gap reaches 29.3 points.

The median of the selected ranking stands at 20.1 %

Half of the 1’456 municipalities with at least 1’000 residents have more than 20.1 % of residents aged 65 or over, the other half less. This value is the median, the middle value of the selected ranking. It exceeds the share measured for the country as a whole by 0.5 percentage points.

The two indicators are not read in the same way. The national share relates to all residents of Switzerland. The median treats every municipality identically, whatever its population. The 654 municipalities with fewer than 1’000 residents are not part of this calculation.

The highest shares of people aged 65 or over

Among municipalities with at least 1’000 residents, Brissago (TI) has the highest share of people aged 65 or over: 39.1 % of its 1’619 residents. Muralto (TI) follows with 35.5 % and Sigriswil (BE) with 35.1 %. Four of the eight leading municipalities are in Ticino, two in the canton of Bern.

In these eight municipalities, the share of people under 20 stays low. In Brissago it stands at 10.9 %, or 28.2 points below the share of people aged 65 or over. Muralto records 10.5 % under 20, Centovalli 12.1 %, Val Müstair 12.2 %, Sigriswil 12.5 %, Ascona 13.0 % and Oberhofen am Thunersee 14.5 %.

The highest shares of people under 20

Vuarrens (VD) has the highest share of people under 20 in the selected ranking: 28.1 % for 1’119 residents. Five of the first six municipalities are in the canton of Vaud. The only exception, Chancy, is in the canton of Geneva and takes second place with 27.9 %.

• Vuarrens (VD): 28.1 %, 1’119 residents
• Chancy (GE): 27.9 %, 1’664 residents
• Goumoëns (VD): 27.8 %, 1’206 residents
• Ollon (VD): 27.4 %, 8’221 residents
• Commugny (VD): 27.3 %, 2’973 residents
• Founex (VD): 26.9 %, 3’763 residents
• Häggenschwil (SG): 26.8 %, 1’426 residents
• Mies (VD): 26.7 %, 2’180 residents

Vuarrens also features among the lowest shares of people aged 65 or over, in second place with 9.9 %. The lowest value goes to Chavannes-près-Renens (VD), 9.8 % for 9’774 residents. Granges-Paccot (FR) comes next, at 11.1 %, ahead of La Sonnaz (FR) at 11.7 % and Opfikon (ZH) at 11.8 %.

The two rankings do not overlap

A high share of people under 20 does not always go together with a low share of people aged 65 or over. Ollon (VD) has 27.4 % under 20 and 19.0 % aged 65 or over, a value close to the median of 20.1 %. Goumoëns (VD) shows 27.8 % and 17.8 %. Chancy (GE), second for the under-20s, records 12.7 % aged 65 or over.

Opfikon (ZH), 21’554 residents, has 11.8 % aged 65 or over and 20.7 % under 20: it is the most populous of the five municipalities with the lowest shares of people aged 65 or over in the selected ranking. La Sonnaz (FR) also appears there, with 11.7 % and 25.3 % under 20, as does Granges-Paccot (FR), 24.5 %.

The six largest cities fit within 4.6 points

The country’s six most populous municipalities show shares of people aged 65 or over of between 14.3 % in Zurich and 18.9 % in Basel, a gap of 4.6 points. All lie below the median of 20.1 % for municipalities with at least 1’000 residents. Lausanne records 14.4 %, Geneva 16.0 %, Winterthur 16.6 % and Bern 17.2 %.

For people under 20, Winterthur leads these six cities with 20.1 %, ahead of Lausanne at 19.2 % and Geneva at 17.9 %. Zurich has 17.7 % under 20, Bern 17.3 % and Basel 17.2 %. Basel is the only one of the six where the share of people aged 65 or over exceeds that of people under 20, by 1.7 points.

These shares are recalculated with each annual population update. The values published here describe the situation at 31 December 2024; the next annual STATPOP update will replace them. Civiora’s municipal profiles carry the age structure of each of the 2’110 municipalities.

The age shares come from the STATPOP survey of the Federal Statistical Office, permanent resident population, situation at 31 December 2024. The rankings by age share, the municipality counts (160 and 91) and the median of 20.1 % all relate to the 1’456 municipalities with at least 1’000 residents, out of 2’110 municipalities in total, in order to set aside the effects of very small calculation bases. The national shares, for their part, cover all municipalities. Each share is expressed as a percentage of the permanent resident population of the municipality concerned.