2’110 municipalities on 1 January 2026: five years of mergers redraw the Swiss map

Sixty-two fewer municipalities in five years

Between 1 January 2021 and 1 January 2026, the number of Swiss municipalities fell from 2’172 to 2’110, a decline of 62. The movement is recorded by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) in the official register of municipalities, the AGVCH. The figures in this article come from its official correspondence table between the 2021 and 2026 states of the register.

The net decline of 62 conceals a broader movement: 83 municipalities were absorbed in five years. The gap comes down to how mergers work. When several municipalities join together, a new one is often created, entering the register as the old ones leave it. Over the period, 83 municipalities left the register in this way, while 21 new entities entered it. The difference between these two flows produces the net balance of −62 municipalities recorded between 2021 and 2026.

Zurzach, Hautemorges, Lema: the largest mergers

The largest merger of the period took place in Aargau: nine municipalities were united to form Zurzach, home to 8’336 residents in 2024. Next come Hautemorges, created from seven municipalities (4’383 residents), and Lema, formed from six (2’662 residents). The most populous of these new entities, however, is Laténa, with 11’718 residents across five merged municipalities.

Four other mergers of the period each brought together four or five municipalities. In Ticino, Tresa unites five municipalities and has 3’126 residents. In Aargau, Böztal was likewise created from five municipalities, with 2’940 residents. In the canton of Fribourg, Rue groups four municipalities (2’638 residents). In the canton of Zurich, Andelfingen also brings together four, with 3’681 residents.

Aargau and Fribourg, the most active cantons

Six cantons lead the movement, according to the FSO’s correspondence table. Two of them share first place, with six mergers each over the period. Several of the mergers already mentioned belong to this group: Zurzach and Böztal in Aargau, Rue in the canton of Fribourg, Tresa in Ticino.

• Aargau and Fribourg: 6 mergers each between 2021 and 2026;
• Ticino: 5 mergers over the same period;
• Jura, Solothurn and Vaud: 4 mergers each.

Moutier, the only municipality to change canton

Moutier is the most singular case of the 2026 register year. The municipality of 7’256 residents left the canton of Bern on 1 January 2026 to join the canton of Jura, where it is now part of the district of Moutier. Across the whole 2021-2026 period, Moutier is the only municipality to change canton: a unique case in the FSO’s correspondence table.

In the federal register, the change can be read directly. Moutier’s FSO number moves from 700 to 6831, as Jura numbering replaces the Bernese one. The municipality merges with no one: it simply changes canton, taking its population and its territory with it.

What mergers mean for the data

For a platform of municipal data, every merger raises the same question: what should be done with the figures of the former municipality? The rule applied on Civiora is strict: the rates and indicators of a dissolved municipality are never carried over to the new entity. A statistical series ends at the date of the merger; the municipality created by the merger starts its own.

In practice, Zurzach’s figures do not extend those of the nine municipalities that preceded it. The same rule applies to Tresa, Böztal, Rue and Andelfingen. The site’s comparison tool thus presents the current 2’110 municipalities on a consistent basis, without mixing former and new entities.

Methodological note: the correspondences between former and new municipalities come from the FSO’s official 2021→2026 table (AGVCH register). The populations cited are those of 2024. No rate or indicator of a dissolved municipality is applied to the municipality created by the merger.

The FSO keeps the official register of municipalities continuously up to date, and mergers generally take effect on 1 January. The next state of the register, on 1 January 2027, will show whether the Swiss map drops below the 2’110 mark.