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Moving to Switzerland

Switzerland country facts, largest cities, hub labels and reports.

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Across 198 passports, 93 passports enter visa-free and 105 passports need a visa for Switzerland. Check your passport below.

Visa-free
93
Visa required
105

198 accepted passport rules · rules effective as of 2026-09-03

Visa and entry rules

Short stay and entry198 source-backed passport answersHighly SkilledOfficial route overview and current conditions.Self EmployedOfficial route overview and current conditions.StudyOfficial route overview and current conditions.FamilyOfficial route overview and current conditions.Permanent ResidenceOfficial route overview and current conditions.RetirementOfficial route overview and current conditions.CitizenshipOfficial route overview and current conditions.HumanitarianOfficial route overview and current conditions.Intra Company TransferOfficial route overview and current conditions.InvestorOfficial route overview and current conditions.Job SeekerOfficial route overview and current conditions.ResearcherOfficial route overview and current conditions.Seasonal WorkOfficial route overview and current conditions.WorkOfficial route overview and current conditions.

Sources checked through 3 Sept 2026.

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Switzerland?

The national unemployment rate was 4.9 % in 2025. Source: Eurostat — Unemployment by sex and age — annual data (une_rt_a)11

This is the Eurostat labour-force survey series used as the canonical national answer. Other published definitions exist and are shown in the table below.

What is the median gross salary in Switzerland?

The median gross salary was 7,009 EUR/month in 2022.

Half of employees earn less than this. Mean gross and national-accounts averages use different definitions and are shown in the table below. national-accounts average — shown in the table below.

  • Median gross salary, monthly: 7,009 EUR/month · Eurostat (Structure of Earnings Survey, earn_ses_monthly)12
  • Average gross salary, monthly: 7,463 EUR/month · 2026-07-25 · Wage levels in Switzerland in 202434
MetricValuePeriodSource
Median gross salary, monthly7,009 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Eurostat (Structure of Earnings Survey, earn_ses_monthly)12Official · national figure
National unemployment rate4.9 %31 Dec 2025Eurostat — Unemployment by sex and age — annual data (une_rt_a)11Official · national figure
Unemployment across cities in SwitzerlandOf 175 cities with data, 52 have unemployment of 2 to under 3%.

Typical city (median): about 2.3%

unemployment rate, % · measured cities in Switzerland per band12 cities: 0% to under 1%120–151 cities: 1% to under 2%511–252 cities: 2% to under 3%522–338 cities: 3% to under 4%383–415 cities: 4% to under 5%154–52 cities: 5% to under 6%25–62 cities: 6% to under 7%26–71 city: 8% to under 9%18–91 city: 9% to under 10%19–101 city: 11% to under 12%111–12

Unemployment rate (%)

Annual PM2.5 across cities in SwitzerlandOf 42 cities with data, 20 have annual PM2.5 of 8 to under 10 µg/m³.

Typical city (median): about 8.8 µg/m³

annual PM2.5, µg/m³ · measured cities in Switzerland per band1 city: 2 µg/m³ to under 4 µg/m³12–411 cities: 6 µg/m³ to under 8 µg/m³116–820 cities: 8 µg/m³ to under 10 µg/m³208–108 cities: 10 µg/m³ to under 12 µg/m³810–122 cities: 16 µg/m³ to under 18 µg/m³216–18

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Public employment service in Switzerland

Official job-search, registration, counselling and training routes. Private recruitment agencies are not included.

arbeit.swiss — Public employment service

State Secretariat for Economic Affairs / public employment service

Job SearchCareer Counselling
Register

A national service does not prove that an office exists in every city. City pages show an office only after an exact address is linked to that city. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Taxes in Switzerland

National rates and comparable published scenarios. Personal tax depends on income, household and residence circumstances.

Top income-tax rate41.41 %
Corporate tax rate8.5 %
Verified from the linked official or intergovernmental records. Open the primary source. Sources checked through 3 Aug 2026.

Benefits newcomers may qualify for in Switzerland

Public schemes where an official source defines an eligible migration or residence status. Amounts and conditions are kept in their native terms.

ProgrammePublished amountSource and application

Asylsozialhilfe — cantonal social assistance for asylum/protection profiles — Arrival and reception support

In-kind support

State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) and cantonal authorities

Open official application
Eligibility and amount details

The current SEM page describes a cantonal in-kind social-assistance package for asylum seekers and temporarily admitted persons; the amount varies under cantonal law and no single national CHF rate is published.

The current Swiss SEM page states in the exact source wording that ‘Mittellose Asylsuchende, vorläufig aufgenommene Personen und Flüchtlinge’ are supported by cantonal social assistance. The official SEM/FDJP FAQ gives the bounded status locators: ‘Personen in einem laufenden Asylverfahren (Ausweis N)’ receive the so-called asylum social assistance; ‘vorläufig aufgenommene Personen (Ausweis F); sie erhalten die sogenannte Asylsozialhilfe’; and ‘Flüchtlinge sind in Bezug auf die Sozialhilfe hingegen der einheimischen Bevölkerung gleichzustellen’. , temporarily_admitted_person_with_f_permit_in_switzerland_receiving_asylum_social_assistance and recognized_refugee_in_switzerland_receiving_social_assistance. It does not generalise to tourists, persons without a residence status or every foreign resident.

Asylsozialhilfe — Unterkunft als Teil der kantonalen Sozialhilfe — Housing support

Amount set per household by formula / Monthly

Cantonal and municipal social-assistance authorities

Open official application
Eligibility and amount details

The current SEM FAQ states that social assistance secures basic provision including accommodation, is calculated by the cantonal or municipal social service from concrete need, and applies a generally lower rate to asylum seekers with permit N and provisionally admitted foreign nationals with permit F. The housing component is therefore locally assessed and source-defined; no unsupported nationwide CHF amount is asserted.

The current official SEM FAQ gives the exact wording: ‘Dies gilt auch für Personen in einem laufenden Asylverfahren (Ausweis N) und für vorläufig aufgenommene Personen (Ausweis F); sie erhalten die sogenannte Asylsozialhilfe.’ The same current SEM FAQ states that social assistance secures basic provision including accommodation (‘Unterkunft’) and that the amount is calculated by the canton or municipality; and temporarily_admitted_person_with_f_permit_in_switzerland_receiving_asylum_social_assistance, without broadening to generic lawful residents.

Family allowances (Familienzulagen / allocations familiales) — Family and child support

215 CHF / Monthly

Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO) and cantonal family-allowance offices

Open official application
Eligibility and amount details

Federal minimum child allowance is CHF 215 per child per month; cantons may set higher amounts or additional allowances.

The official FSIO page's residence and contribution rules list three exact claimant categories: ‘Employees whose earnings on which they pay OASI contributions are at least CHF 630 per month’; ‘Self-employed persons who are registered with a family allowances compensation fund and whose income on which they pay OASI contributions is at least CHF 630 per month’; and ‘Persons not in gainful employment and on a low income, provided that they live in Switzerland’, with the published CHF 45,360 taxable-income and OASI/IV supplementary-benefit conditions.

Sozialhilfe / aide sociale / assistenza sociale (cantonal social assistance) — Minimum-income support

Amount varies

Cantonal and municipal social-assistance authorities

Open official application
Eligibility and amount details

There is no single national amount in the official federal description: social assistance varies by canton and is organised and determined by the cantons and municipalities under the applicable cantonal rules. The current-state locator is 2026-08-10.

The official Swiss SEM FAQ states: ‘In der Regel erhalten Personen Sozialhilfe, die sich längerfristig rechtmässig in der Schweiz aufhalten und in einer finanziellen Notlage sind. Dies gilt auch für Personen in einem laufenden Asylverfahren (Ausweis N) und für vorläufig aufgenommene Personen (Ausweis F); sie erhalten die sogenannte Asylsozialhilfe.’ The same section lists exceptions: persons without a residence permit, persons without a Swiss residence, and persons with a final removal or revocation decision are excluded from ordinary social assistance and may claim emergency aid. These are the bounded lawful-long-term-resident, asylum-procedure and temporarily-admitted profiles.

Unemployment benefit (Arbeitslosenentschädigung) — Unemployment support

Percentage-based / Daily

State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and unemployment-insurance funds

Open official application
Eligibility and amount details

The official SECO unemployment-insurance directive with status 01.01.2026 gives a daily allowance of 80% of insured earnings when the published child, low-insured-salary or disability condition applies, and 70% in all other cases.

The official arbeit.swiss FAQ states: ‘As a foreign national, you’ll need to have a valid temporary or permanent residence permit.’ The same eligibility section requires residence in Switzerland, registration with the RAV employment service and at least 12 months of contributions during the past 2 years. This is the bounded profile of a foreign national with a valid Swiss residence permit for unemployment benefit, subject to the unemployment, contribution and fitness-for-placement conditions.

ImmigrationDB shows published rules; it does not decide personal eligibility. Confirm your status, contribution record and household circumstances with the responsible authority before applying. Sources checked through 12 Aug 2026.

Can migrants receive medical care in Switzerland?

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Switzerland under the published coverage rules.

Verified 2026-08-03. Open the official coverage rules.

Language courses and integration in Switzerland

Government programmes, public integration services and exact provider records. The section expands only from fields present in the source; missing prices, refunds or contacts are not replaced with estimates.

10verified programmes
1cities with exact local records
1verified location records

Cantonal integration programmes — Newcomer Adaptation

SEM and cantons

For migrants, refugees.

German, French, ItalianIn Person
Open official information

fide language promotion system — State Language Course

State Secretariat for Migration (SEM)

For adult migrants.

German, French, ItalianIn Person, Online
Open official information

Swiss integration agenda — Newcomer Adaptation

SEM and cantons

For refugees and temporarily admitted persons.

In Person
Open official information

Basic adult training including French in Lausanne — Municipal language course

Ville de Lausanne / Service de l'inclusion et des actions sociales de proximité

For adults needing basic training.

FrenchIn Person
Open official information

Canton Zurich integration offerings — Other

Fachstelle Integration, Kanton Zürich

For migrants in Canton Zürich.

GermanIn Person, Online
Open official information

French courses for non-French-speaking parents in Genève — Municipal language course

Etat de Genève / Ecole de parents

For parents of children in Geneva public schools, non-French-speaking parents.

FrenchCEFR A1In Person
Open official information
Country programmes describe the national or named local framework. Availability in a city is shown only when a source names that place exactly. Sources checked through 2026-08-10.

Living and moving context for Switzerland

Switzerland had GDP per capita of US$114,769 in 2025 and life expectancy of 84.4 years in 2024. There were 4.477 doctors per 1,000 people in 2022. The national unemployment rate was 4.9% in 2025. Average gross salary was €7,463 per month in 2024, while national median net income was €3,813 per month.

#1 by populationZürich436,551 residents#2 by populationGenève209,061 residents#3 by populationBasel177,571 residents

Switzerland cities by population

The largest published cities appear first. Population is taken from the reusable official city layer; hub labels come from the existing city taxonomy.

Open city finder
CityPopulationNet rent, €/m²/monthMedian gross salary, €/month
Zürich436,551Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
Genève209,061Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
Basel177,571Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
Lausanne144,873Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
BernCapital hub137,995Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
Winterthur120,376Population17.90Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
Luzern86,234Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
St. Gallen78,863Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
Lugano63,629Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
Biel/Bienne56,896Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
Neuchâtel45,309Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
Bellinzona45,305Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
Thun44,125Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
Köniz43,508Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
Chur39,177Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
Fribourg39,151Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
Schaffhausen38,964Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
Vernier37,837Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
La Chaux-de-Fonds37,600Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
Lancy37,259Population—Net rent, €/m²/mo—Median gross salary, €/mo
All published cities in Switzerland

Reports with this country

Accepted report pages with a row for this country.

All reports
Cities with the highest published monthly salaries Cities meeting the WHO PM2.5 annual guideline Cities with the highest car density Cities with the lowest annual PM2.5 Cities with the lowest published unemployment Cities with the highest published annual rainfall
Population9,005,582 people31 Dec 2024Official source · World Bank
Median gross salary, monthly7,009 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Official source · Eurostat (Structure of Earnings Survey, earn_ses_monthly)
National unemployment rate4.9 %31 Dec 2025Official source · Eurostat — Unemployment by sex and age — annual data (une_rt_a)
Public healthcare access for foreign residentsYes3 Aug 2026Official source · ch.ch — Swiss Confederation, cantons and communes portal
Area41,291 km²31 Dec 2023Official source · World Bank
Gross-to-net pay for a sample householdsingle person no children — 100,715 gross → 82,536 net a year (2025, national currency)31 Dec 2025Official source · Taxing Wages 2026 — labour taxation decomposition
67 country facts · 495 cities · Last checked 2026-09-06

Switzerland facts

Current source-backed observations, grouped the way the city pages are, with geographic scope and observation periods.

Population and profile

How many people live in Switzerland?

The published population was 9,005,582 people in 2024. Source: World Bank37

National, resident population scope. Foreign-resident and migration-background figures are separate metrics in the table below.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Population9,005,582 people31 Dec 2024World Bank37Official · national figure

Legal, tax and other context

MetricValuePeriodSource
Public healthcare access for foreign residentsYes3 Aug 2026ch.ch — Swiss Confederation, cantons and communes portal1Official · national figure
Area41,291 km²31 Dec 2023World Bank38Official · national figure
Gross-to-net pay for a sample householdsingle person no children — 100,715 gross → 82,536 net a year (2025, national currency)31 Dec 2025Taxing Wages 2026 — labour taxation decomposition32Official · country household scenario
Population by year8,606,033 people (2020)1 Jan 2020Population on 1 January by age and sex (DEMO_PJAN)31Official · country annual series
Religious affiliation of residentsNo Afiliation — 20.6 % (2011)31 Dec 2011UNdata Table 28 — Population by religion, sex and urban/rural residence33Official · country religion category
Salary by professionClerical support workers — 6,683 EUR/month (2022)31 Dec 2022Mean monthly earnings by sex, occupation and size class of the enterprise (2022)21Official · country occupation
Doctors per 1,000 residents4.48 per 1,00031 Dec 2022World Bank indicator SH.MED.PHYS.ZS41Official · national figure
Employer social contribution rate6.4 %31 Dec 2025Informationsstelle AHV/IV in cooperation with the Federal Social Insurance Office, Switzerland19Official · national figure
Employed women2,213,400 people2025ec.europa.eu2Official · national figure
Employment Full Time Count2,813,100 people2025ec.europa.eu3Official · national figure
Employed men2,459,700 people2025ec.europa.eu2Official · national figure
People employed in agriculture, forestry and fishing116,880 people2025ec.europa.eu4Official · national figure
People employed in mining and quarrying4,550 people2025ec.europa.eu4Official · national figure
People employed in manufacturing649,810 people2025ec.europa.eu4Official · national figure
People employed in electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning33,710 people2025ec.europa.eu4Official · national figure
People employed in water supply, sewerage and waste management21,450 people2025ec.europa.eu4Official · national figure
People employed in construction355,540 people2025ec.europa.eu4Official · national figure
People employed in wholesale and retail trade; motor vehicle and motorcycle repair594,370 people2025ec.europa.eu4Official · national figure
People employed in transportation and storage257,440 people2025ec.europa.eu4Official · national figure
People employed in accommodation and food services252,990 people2025ec.europa.eu4Official · national figure
People employed in information and communication190,530 people2025ec.europa.eu4Official · national figure
People employed in finance and insurance241,430 people2025ec.europa.eu4Official · national figure
People employed in real estate70,510 people2025ec.europa.eu4Official · national figure
People employed in professional, scientific and technical services471,130 people2025ec.europa.eu4Official · national figure

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

What is the unemployment rate in Switzerland?

The national unemployment rate was 4.9 % in 2025. Source: Eurostat — Unemployment by sex and age — annual data (une_rt_a).

How many people live in Switzerland?

The published population was 9,005,582 people in 2024. Source: World Bank.

What is the median gross salary in Switzerland?

The median gross salary was 7,009 EUR/month in 2022. Source: Eurostat (Structure of Earnings Survey, earn_ses_monthly).

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation
ImmigrationDB. (2026, September 12). Moving to Switzerland: salary, jobs, safety [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/countries/switzerland/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_moving-to-switzerland-salary-jobs-safety_76a89bada3d5,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Moving to Switzerland: salary, jobs, safety},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-12},
  version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/countries/switzerland/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Moving to Switzerland: salary, jobs, safety](https://immigrationdb.com/countries/switzerland/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; retrieved 2026-09-12; built 2026-09-12.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

Every number above comes from one of these records. Open the original source for its geographic scope and publication date.

  1. ch.ch — Swiss Confederation, cantons and communes portal ch.ch · ch.ch · checked 2026-08-03
  2. ec.europa.eu ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-12
  3. ec.europa.eu ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-12
  4. ec.europa.eu ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-12
  5. EF EPI ef.com · checked 2026-08-03
  6. Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-07
  7. Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-03
  8. Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-05
  9. Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-05
  10. Eurostat — Distribution of income by household composition (ilc_di04) Eurostat · ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-26
Show 35 more sources
  1. Eurostat — Unemployment by sex and age — annual data (une_rt_a) Eurostat · ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-26
  2. Eurostat (Structure of Earnings Survey, earn_ses_monthly) ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-03
  3. Eurostat crim_off_cat (ICCS0101, NR) ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-05
  4. Eurostat demo_pjan ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-05
  5. Eurostat ilc_di03 ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-06
  6. Federal Chancellery of Switzerland bk.admin.ch · checked 2026-08-02
  7. Globalization and World Cities (GaWC), Loughborough University gawc.lboro.ac.uk · checked 2026-08-03
  8. Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) data.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-13
  9. Informationsstelle AHV/IV in cooperation with the Federal Social Insurance Office, Switzerland ahv-iv.ch · checked 2026-08-03
  10. Kantonspolizei Bern / BFS — Swiss PKS 2025 national total Kantonspolizei Bern / BFS · police.be.ch · checked 2026-07-29
  11. Mean monthly earnings by sex, occupation and size class of the enterprise (2022) ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-30
  12. MIPEX mirovni-institut.si · checked 2026-08-03
  13. OECD oecd.org · checked 2026-08-03
  14. OECD sdmx-pp.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-03
  15. OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-03
  16. OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-07
  17. OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-07
  18. OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-07
  19. OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-05
  20. Physicians (per 1,000 people) data.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-13
  21. Population on 1 January by age and sex (DEMO_PJAN) ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-29
  22. Taxing Wages 2026 — labour taxation decomposition Taxing Wages 2026 · sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-07-29
  23. UNdata Table 28 — Population by religion, sex and urban/rural residence UNdata Table 28 · data.un.org · checked 2026-07-30
  24. Wage levels in Switzerland in 2024 dam-api.bfs.admin.ch · checked 2026-07-26
  25. WHO GHO RS_196/RS_198 ghoapi.azureedge.net · checked 2026-09-05
  26. WHO GHO RS_196/RS_198 ghoapi.azureedge.net · checked 2026-09-05
  27. World Bank api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-02
  28. World Bank api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-02
  29. World Bank api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-02
  30. World Bank indicator NY.GDP.PCAP.CD api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-07-14
  31. World Bank indicator SH.MED.PHYS.ZS api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-07-14
  32. World Bank indicator SP.DYN.LE00.IN api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-07-14
  33. World Bank Open Data api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-07
  34. World Bank Open Data api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-07
  35. World Bank SP.POP.TOTL api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-09-05