What to Know About Switzerland’s Proposal to Cap Its Population

An unusual proposal to limit Switzerland’s population to 10 million appears to be gaining ground, despite concerns that it could endanger the country’s economy and relationship with the European Union.

The initiative, backed by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP), was rejected by the government last March. But it is gaining popularity among the public, who will vote on the proposal in a June 14 referendum: over half of Swiss respondents said they’re in favor of the proposal, according to a new opinion poll.

The survey of 16,176 respondents on April 22 and 23 showed that 52% were in favor of the proposal while 46% were against it. The remaining 2% of respondents were undecided. {snip}

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Switzerland has experienced rapid population growth, largely driven by immigration, with the population increasing by 1.9 million people since 2000, according to think tank Avenir Suisse. The country’s population exceeded 9 million last year, with foreign nationals accounting for around 27%, according to government data.

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The proposal would cap the permanent resident population at 10 million before 2050. If the population exceeds 9.5 million before then, the government would have to take measures to curb immigration, including tightening rules for asylum and permanent residence. Crossing that threshold would also force the government to “renegotiate international agreements that drive population growth,” according to the proposal.

And if the population hits 10 million, Switzerland would likely have to abandon a free-movement agreement with the E.U. that has been in place for more than two decades. {snip}

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Switzerland’s proposal is functionally more akin to an immigration quota. Many countries, including the U.S., Canada, Japan, and several in Europe, regulate immigration through quotas for certain visa categories, sectors, and at times country of origin. Unlike the Swiss proposal, which would set a long-term population cap till 2050, these quotas are often regularly reviewed. {snip}

Switzerland also already has quotas for immigration of nationals from countries outside the E.U. The quotas are set each year by the Swiss government. In 2024, the quota was 8,500 for non-E.U. citizens and 3,500 for U.K. citizens. Those quotas are consistently underfilled, with around two-thirds of the quota for non-E.U. workers and a fifth of the quota for U.K. nationals met in recent years.

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