The space
How many people live on one square kilometre of Switzerland, measured on the total area and on the area without lakes, rivers, rock and glaciers. The areas come from the OFS/BFS land use statistics, the international figures from the World Bank.
202 people per km² of total area in 2015
269 people per km² of productive area in 2015
Votara estimate, not an official forecast
Density on the total and on the productive area
Population density of Switzerland, 1982–2015
People per km², one value per survey of the land use statistics. Population on 31 December of the middle year of the survey's aerial photographs.
People per km²
- People per km² of total area
- People per km² of productive area
Total area: the four main domains of the OFS/BFS land use statistics together. Productive area: the total area without the unproductive areas, which include lakes, rivers, rock and glaciers; forest and agricultural areas count as productive. Density: population divided by the area in km².
Votara uses the productive area as the measure of habitable land. Votara calculation from OFS/BFS data, following the recipe in the data ledger.
People per km² of total area rose from 155 in 1982 to 202 in 2015. People per km² of productive area rose from 209 in 1982 to 269 in 2015.
Show the data as a table
| Survey | Aerial photographs | Population year | Population | Total area (km²) | Productive area (km²) | People per km² of total area | People per km² of productive area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979–1985 | 1979–85 | 1982 | 6,409,713 | 41,290.72 | 30,708.92 | 155 | 209 |
| 1992–1997 | 1990–98 | 1994 | 7,019,019 | 41,290.72 | 30,786.97 | 170 | 228 |
| 2004–2009 | 2004–09 | 2006 | 7,508,739 | 41,290.72 | 30,847.66 | 182 | 243 |
| 2013–2018 | 2012–19 | 2015 | 8,327,126 | 41,290.72 | 30,932.67 | 202 | 269 |
Switzerland and other countries
Population density in comparison, 2024
People per km² of land area, as published by the World Bank.
The World Bank divides the mid-year population by the land area without inland waters. The OFS/BFS figures above use the population on 31 December and the total area including lakes. The two definitions differ, so the charts are separate.
The World Bank does not publish a density on habitable land. Votara has no comparable figure for the other countries, so the comparison uses land area only.
Switzerland, 2024: 228 people per km² of land area. Of the 10 countries and groups shown: highest value Netherlands (534), lowest value Austria (111).
Show the data as a table
| Country | Year | People per km² of land area |
|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 2024 | 534.4 |
| Belgium | 2024 | 388.9 |
| Japan | 2024 | 340.1 |
| United Kingdom | 2024 | 286.4 |
| Germany | 2024 | 239.0 |
| Switzerland | 2024 | 227.9 |
| Italy | 2024 | 199.4 |
| France | 2024 | 127.2 |
| European Union | 2023 | 112.6 |
| Austria | 2024 | 111.2 |
Where people live
The Plateau from Lake Geneva to Lake Constance, commune by commune: how many people live on one square kilometre, and how much of each commune is settlement area.
Residents per km² by commune, 2025
Permanent residents at the end of 2025 divided by the commune's area (land use statistics 2013–2018). Large lakes are not part of the area.
Calculated by Votara from official data: the area of a commune is the sum of the four main domains of the OFS/BFS land use statistics. The commune borders are generalised for maps (OFS/BFS) and are not used to measure anything.
Residents per km²
- up to 99
- 100 to 299
- 300 to 999
- 1,000 to 2,999
- 3,000 and more
The map shows 2,016 communes. Highest values: Genève (13,230), Carouge (GE) (8,597), Vevey (8,501), Lancy (7,752) and Chêne-Bourg (7,736). 46% of their residents live in communes with 1,000 or more residents per km².
Show the data as a table
| Class | Communes | Residents 2025 | Share of the residents shown |
|---|---|---|---|
| up to 99 | 572 | 655,322 | 7.4% |
| 100 to 299 | 677 | 1,545,050 | 17.5% |
| 300 to 999 | 534 | 2,550,498 | 28.8% |
| 1,000 to 2,999 | 198 | 2,574,007 | 29.1% |
| 3,000 and more | 35 | 1,524,234 | 17.2% |
What the land is used for
Land use, Switzerland
Share of the total area by main domain, for each survey of the OFS/BFS land use statistics.
- Settlement areas
- Agricultural areas
- Wooded areas
- Unproductive areas
Sample survey on a 100 m grid, interpreted from aerial photographs: each point stands for one hectare. The OFS/BFS corrects earlier surveys when a later survey finds misclassified points, so earlier values can change.
The survey 2020–2025 is published canton by canton; there is no value for Switzerland as a whole yet.
Switzerland, survey 2013–2018: settlement areas 7.9%, agricultural areas 35.2%, wooded areas 31.8%, unproductive areas 25.1% of the total area. Settlement areas in the survey 1979–1985: 6%.
Show the data as a table
| Survey | Aerial photographs | Settlement areas | Agricultural areas | Wooded areas | Unproductive areas | Total (ha) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979–1985 | 1979–85 | 249,443 ha (6%) | 1,566,930 ha (37.9%) | 1,254,519 ha (30.4%) | 1,058,180 ha (25.6%) | 4,129,072 |
| 1992–1997 | 1990–98 | 281,870 ha (6.8%) | 1,514,904 ha (36.7%) | 1,281,923 ha (31%) | 1,050,375 ha (25.4%) | 4,129,072 |
| 2004–2009 | 2004–09 | 308,969 ha (7.5%) | 1,482,841 ha (35.9%) | 1,292,956 ha (31.3%) | 1,044,306 ha (25.3%) | 4,129,072 |
| 2013–2018 | 2012–19 | 327,201 ha (7.9%) | 1,452,738 ha (35.2%) | 1,313,328 ha (31.8%) | 1,035,805 ha (25.1%) | 4,129,072 |
Where could everyone live?
Votara estimate, not an official forecast
A plain calculation: the population of the OFS/BFS reference scenario for 2050, divided by the settlement areas of the survey 2013–2018. It assumes that the settlement areas stay as they were then.
- Population 2050, OFS/BFS reference scenario
- 10,322,244
- Settlement areas, survey 2013–2018 (km²)
- 3,272.01
- people per km² of settlement areas in 2050, OFS/BFS reference scenario
- 3,155
Formula: population ÷ (settlement areas in ha ÷ 100)
10,322,244 ÷ (327,201 ÷ 100) = 3,155
| Basis | Population | Settlement areas (km²) | People per km² of settlement areas |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015, observed | 8,327,126 | 3,272.01 | 2,545 |
| 2050, OFS/BFS scenario: reference | 10,322,244 | 3,272.01 | 3,155 |
| 2050, OFS/BFS scenario: low | 9,317,362 | 3,272.01 | 2,848 |
| 2050, OFS/BFS scenario: high | 11,338,011 | 3,272.01 | 3,465 |
According to the OFS/BFS, scenarios are conditional projections, not forecasts.
Sources: OFS/BFS — Population scenarios for Switzerland 2025–2055 (data 2024–2055, source checked on ); OFS/BFS — Swiss land use statistics — main land-use domains (data 1979–2025, source checked on ); OFS/BFS — Permanent resident population since 1860 (data 1860–2025, source checked on )
10 million people at different densities
How much land would 10 million people need if they lived as densely as in one of the five communes with the most residents, or as in today's settlement areas? A what-if: it does not say where anyone will or should live.
For comparison: in the OFS/BFS reference scenario, Switzerland passes 10 million residents in 2041.
10 million people at the density of Zürich
- Residents per km²
- 5,012
- Area needed, km²
- 1,995
- Share of Switzerland's area
- 4.8%
Votara calculation: 10 million ÷ residents per km². Switzerland's area and the settlement area come from the land use statistics of the same survey.
On the map
- Area for 10 million people (square)
- Zürich today
At the density of Zürich (5,012 residents per km²), 10 million people would need 1,995 km². That is 4.8% of Switzerland's area, or 23 times the area of Zürich.
Show the data as a table
| Density of | Residents per km² | Area needed (km²) | Share of Switzerland's area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genève | 13,230 | 756 | 1.8% |
| Basel | 7,542 | 1,326 | 3.2% |
| Zürich | 5,012 | 1,995 | 4.8% |
| Lausanne | 3,519 | 2,842 | 6.9% |
| Today's settlement areas | 2,789 | 3,585 | 8.7% |
| Bern | 2,684 | 3,725 | 9.0% |