List of cities in Switzerland
The list of cities in Switzerland provides an overview of the development of the population of cities in Switzerland . There is also an alphabetical list of all cities in the country as well as an overview of the cities with lost city rights.
overview
Unlike Germany or Austria, for example, Switzerland has no city law in the legal sense. In Switzerland, statistically every municipality is considered a city with more than 10,000 inhabitants. Whether a municipality describes itself as a “city” is entirely up to its own discretion and self-image. Some large agglomeration communities prefer the term “ community ” even if their population exceeds 10,000, for example Köniz with around 40,000 inhabitants. Conversely, there are numerous small towns that only have a few thousand or even a few hundred inhabitants, but for historical reasons call themselves " towns " because they were granted town charter centuries ago, for example Leuk . Usually a city is also a political municipality . Exceptions are, for example, Rapperswil (merged with Jona in 2007 to form the municipality of Rapperswil-Jona ) and Werdenberg (part of the political municipality of Grabs since 1803 ).
The canton's capitals of particularly small cantons do not necessarily have to be cities in the true sense of the word; some would deliberately main places - and not -Cities - be. These include, for example, the main towns of the cantons of Uri (main town Altdorf ), Appenzell Innerrhoden (main town Appenzell ) or Glarus (main town Glarus ).
The census data are based on the definition of economic residence, i.e. the city or municipality in which the person lives for most of the week and uses its infrastructure. The population concept therefore includes all weekly residents (e.g. schoolchildren, trainees, students), asylum seekers, etc.
In the area of population data, the statistics of the annual population (ESPOP) of the Federal Statistical Office were determined by December 31, 2009 . They related to the place of residence under civil law, i.e. the place where the person is registered with a certificate of origin, pays taxes and exercises political rights. The definition therefore excluded all weekly residents, asylum seekers, etc. ESPOP was created on the basis of the following data sources:
- Migration statistics of Swiss citizens (survey from the municipalities)
- Various federal foreigner registers (ZAR, AUPER, ORDIPRO)
- Natural Movement Statistics (BEVNAT)
As part of the new population census system, from December 31, 2010, population and household statistics (STATPOP) replaced the previous annual population statistics (ESPOP). STATPOP is based on the federal registers of persons and the registers of residents of the communes and cantons. Compared to ESPOP, the permanent resident population in STATPOP also includes persons in the asylum process with a total length of stay of at least 12 months.
The population statistics of the Swiss cities include all people with residence in their residents' registration. In addition to those settled under civil law, these include those with a week-long stay.
Cities with at least 10,000 inhabitants
The following list contains all municipalities in Switzerland that had at least 10,000 inhabitants at the end of 2015 (i.e. cities in the geographical sense that do not necessarily have a historical town charter), as well as the results of the update by the Federal Statistical Office for the years 1995, 2000 , 2005, 2010 and 2015 (December 31 each). The data refer to the respective municipality area according to the definition of the place of residence under civil law. The canton to which the city belongs is also given. The ranking is based on the last population in descending order. The population of the entire agglomeration is listed below. These are of particular importance for border cities such as Basel and Geneva.
Canton capitals are written in bold (Appenzell (canton Appenzell Innerrhoden), Altdorf (canton Uri) and Stans (canton Nidwalden), which are only canton capital, are written in italics . Places that meet the «city» criterion in two respects (historical city law and demographically a city) are marked with 1 .
rank | Surname | 1995 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | Canton |
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1. | Zurich 1 | 343,869 | 337,900 | 347,517 | 372,857 | 396,027 |
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2. | Geneva 1 | 173'549 | 174,999 | 178,722 | 187,470 | 194,565 |
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3. | Basel 1 | 174'007 | 166'009 | 163,930 | 163'216 | 175,131 |
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4th | Bern 1 | 127,469 | 122,484 | 122,178 | 124,381 | 140,634 |
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5. | Lausanne 1 | 115,878 | 114,889 | 117,388 | 127,821 | 135,629 |
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6th | Winterthur 1 | 87,654 | 88,767 | 93,546 | 101,308 | 106,778 |
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7th | Lucerne 1 | 58,847 | 57,023 | 57,533 | 77'491 | 81,284 |
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8th. | St. Gallen 1 | 71,877 | 69,836 | 70,316 | 72,959 | 75,310 |
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9. | Lugano 1 | 26,000 | 25,872 | 49'223 | 54,667 | 63,668 |
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10. | Biel / Bienne 1 | 50,733 | 48,840 | 48,735 | 51,203 | 53,667 |
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11. | Thun 1 | 39,094 | 39,981 | 41,138 | 42,623 | 43,303 |
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12. | Koeniz | 36,335 | 37,196 | 37,250 | 38,823 | 39,998 |
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13. | La Chaux-de-Fonds 1 | 37,375 | 36,747 | 36,809 | 37'504 | 39,027 |
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14th | Freiburg 1 | 32,501 | 31,691 | 33,008 | 34,897 | 38,288 |
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15th | Schaffhausen 1 | 34,073 | 33,274 | 33,569 | 34,943 | 35,927 |
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16. | Chur 1 | 30,091 | 31,310 | 32,409 | 33,756 | 34,547 |
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17th | Vernier | 28,423 | 28,727 | 30,020 | 32,844 | 34,477 |
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18th | Neuchâtel 1 | 31,768 | 31,639 | 32,117 | 33,815 | 33,641 |
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19th | Uster | 26,139 | 27,893 | 29,855 | 32,265 | 33,412 |
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20th | Manners 1 | 26,065 | 27'145 | 28,510 | 30,363 | 33,296 |
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21st | Lancy | 25,043 | 25,479 | 26,905 | 28,631 | 30,919 |
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22nd | Yverdon-les-Bains 1 | 23,234 | 23'144 | 24'415 | 27,511 | 29,406 |
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23. | Emmen | 26,746 | 26,628 | 26,906 | 28,031 | 29,292 |
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24. | Train 1 | 22,778 | 22,710 | 24,179 | 26,327 | 28,603 |
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25th | Kriens | 24,156 | 24,394 | 25,336 | 26,324 | 27'229 |
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26th | Rapperswil 1/3 | 15,742 | 16,733 | 17,689 | 26'212 | 26,875 |
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27. | Dubendorf | 20,906 | 22,011 | 22,707 | 24,831 | 26,759 |
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28. | Dietikon | 20,953 | 21,060 | 22,178 | 23,624 | 26,277 |
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29 | Montreux | 20,982 | 21,969 | 23,023 | 24,579 | 26,208 |
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30th | Frauenfeld 1 | 20,359 | 21,620 | 22'058 | 23,298 | 24,578 |
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31. | Wetzikon | 17'091 | 18,097 | 19'417 | 22,118 | 23,938 |
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32. | Wil 1 | 16,102 | 16,198 | 17'015 | 18,000 | 23,715 |
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33. | Baar | 17'053 | 19'166 | 20,843 | 21,787 | 23'228 |
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34. | Meyrin | 20'029 | 18,890 | 19,661 | 21,508 | 21,993 |
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35. | Bull 1 | 10'144 | 10,970 | 12,411 | 18,947 | 21,464 |
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36. | Kreuzlingen | 17,971 | 16'714 | 17,691 | 19,544 | 21,290 |
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37. | Waedenswil | 19,241 | 19'122 | 19,378 | 20'433 | 21,245 |
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38. | Carouge 1 | 16,557 | 17'160 | 18,884 | 19,756 | 20,910 |
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39. | Riehen | 20,602 | 20,480 | 20,472 | 20,602 | 20,774 |
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40. | Renens | 17,104 | 17,128 | 18,136 | 19,609 | 20,446 |
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41. | Aarau 1 | 15,918 | 15,282 | 15,454 | 19,497 | 20,445 |
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42. | Allschwil | 18,569 | 18,207 | 18,158 | 19,314 | 20,411 |
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43. | Wettingen | 17,795 | 17,739 | 18,318 | 19,981 | 20'221 |
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44. | Horgen | 16,520 | 17,286 | 17,909 | 18,942 | 20'033 |
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45. | Nyon 1 | 15,402 | 15,964 | 17'235 | 18,728 | 19'738 |
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46. | Vevey 1 | 15,671 | 15'420 | 16,664 | 18,394 | 19'220 |
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47. | Bülach 1 | 13,658 | 13,922 | 14,878 | 17,511 | 18,895 |
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48. | Reinach | 17'770 | 18'441 | 18,536 | 18,656 | 18,810 |
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49. | Bathing 1 | 15,756 | 15,945 | 16,295 | 17,929 | 18,670 |
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50. | Adliswil | 15,563 | 15'433 | 15,710 | 16,502 | 18,448 |
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51. | Volketswil | 12,869 | 14'061 | 15,174 | 17,460 | 18'437 |
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52. | Balls | 15,913 | 16,507 | 17'070 | 18,030 | 18,373 |
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53. | Onex | 16'059 | 16'419 | 17'167 | 17,642 | 18,305 |
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54. | Bellinzona 1 | 17'331 | 16,757 | 16,880 | 17,373 | 18,131 |
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55. | Gossau | 16'429 | 16,788 | 17'020 | 17'763 | 18,053 |
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56. | Streaks | 12,809 | 12,825 | 13,339 | 16'157 | 17,905 |
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57. | Thalwil | 15,344 | 15,771 | 16,347 | 17'213 | 17,631 |
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58. | Pully | 15,826 | 16'005 | 16,500 | 17,121 | 17,624 |
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59. | Glarus North 5 | 16,618 | 17,587 |
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60. | Muttenz | 16,756 | 16,642 | 16,845 | 17'276 | 17,538 |
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61. | Regensdorf | 13,571 | 14,616 | 15,538 | 16,547 | 17,478 |
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62. | Monthey 1 | 13,960 | 14,102 | 15,476 | 16,408 | 17,409 |
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63. | Olten 1 | 17'070 | 16'434 | 16,633 | 16,987 | 17,350 |
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64. | Martigny 1 | 14'161 | 13,841 | 14,973 | 16,143 | 17,342 |
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65. | Opfikon | 11'426 | 11,846 | 12,912 | 15,573 | 17'173 |
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66. | Ostermundigen | 15,797 | 15,202 | 14,886 | 15'438 | 16,694 |
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67. | Sierre | 13,987 | 14,114 | 15,123 | 15,527 | 16,547 |
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68. | Solothurn 1 | 15,353 | 15,074 | 15'079 | 16,066 | 16,545 |
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69. | Grenchen | 16,249 | 15,973 | 15,839 | 15,928 | 16,480 |
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70. | Val-de-Ruz 6 | 16,399 |
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71. | Illnau-Effretikon | 14'427 | 14'433 | 15'056 | 15,602 | 16,288 |
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72. | Burgdorf 1 | 14'498 | 14'416 | 14,796 | 15,374 | 15,998 |
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73. | Freienbach | 11,952 | 13,089 | 14,629 | 15,647 | 15,981 |
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74. | Locarno 1 | 14,556 | 14'465 | 14,556 | 15'153 | 15,803 |
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75. | Steffisburg | 13,619 | 14'140 | 15'122 | 15'431 | 15,703 |
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76. | Pratteln | 15,318 | 14,910 | 14,845 | 15,326 | 15,601 |
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77. | Cham | 12,054 | 13,145 | 13,791 | 14,808 | 15,523 |
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78. | Herisau | 16,154 | 15,799 | 15'245 | 15'236 | 15,512 |
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79. | Morges 1 | 12,892 | 13,754 | 13,984 | 14,744 | 15'465 |
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80. | Well | 12,892 | 13'223 | 14,035 | 14'443 | 15'446 |
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81. | Wallisellen | 11,206 | 11,670 | 12,429 | 13,654 | 15,373 |
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82. | Langenthal 2 | 14,578 | 14,325 | 14,294 | 14,938 | 15,316 |
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83. | Binningen | 13,868 | 13,953 | 14,243 | 14,721 | 15,092 |
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84. | Einsiedeln | 11,691 | 12,470 | 13,370 | 14,385 | 14,949 |
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85. | Mendrisio | 6,089 | 6,043 | 6,721 | 11,582 | 14,929 |
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86. | Schwyz 2 | 13,616 | 13,899 | 14,310 | 14,880 | 14,785 |
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87. | Lyss | 10'032 | 10,641 | 10,908 | 11,821 | 14,183 |
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88 | Arbon 1 | 13,357 | 13,144 | 12,853 | 13,633 | 14,128 |
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89. | Thônex | 11,134 | 12,398 | 13,092 | 13,564 | 13,971 |
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90. | Liestal 1 | 12,353 | 12,695 | 13,052 | 13,600 | 13,956 |
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91. | Stäfa | 10,666 | 11,469 | 12,787 | 13,942 | 13,955 |
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92. | Küsnacht | 12,317 | 12,375 | 12,980 | 13,501 | 13,849 |
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93. | Horw | 11,672 | 12,267 | 12,431 | 13'444 | 13,813 |
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94. | miles | 10,855 | 11'429 | 11,794 | 12,571 | 13,329 |
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95. | Oftringen | 9,978 | 10'220 | 10,635 | 12,319 | 13'210 |
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96. | Versoix | 9,490 | 10,796 | 11,868 | 12,947 | 13'057 |
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97. | Richterswil | 9,821 | 10,461 | 11,388 | 12,351 | 13,035 |
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98 | Muri near Bern | 12,627 | 12,477 | 12,458 | 12,625 | 12,967 |
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99 | Brig-Glis | 11,356 | 11,846 | 12,029 | 12,467 | 12,935 |
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100. | Rheinfelden 1 | 10,205 | 10,566 | 10,859 | 11,961 | 12,897 |
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101. | Amriswil | 10,972 | 11'227 | 11'515 | 12,243 | 12,814 |
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102. | Ebikon | 11,303 | 11'091 | 11'491 | 12,116 | 12,781 |
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103. | Uzwil | 11,356 | 11,955 | 12,074 | 12,655 | 12,695 |
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104. | Gland | 8'230 | 9,700 | 10,625 | 11,633 | 12,597 |
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105. | Spiez | 11,320 | 11,869 | 12,339 | 12,475 | 12,555 |
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106. | Zollikon | 11,331 | 11,542 | 11,861 | 12,040 | 12,533 |
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107. | Delémont 1 | 11,856 | 11'315 | 11'276 | 11,639 | 12,485 |
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108. | Glarus | 5,554 | 5,705 | 5,807 | 12,291 4 | 12,445 |
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109. | Küssnacht SZ | 10,475 | 10,944 | 11,636 | 12,208 | 12,395 |
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110. | Box | 10'214 | 10'272 | 10,547 | 11'242 | 12,187 |
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111. | Ecublens | 9,694 | 9,711 | 10,302 | 11,102 | 12,164 |
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112. | Villars-sur-Glâne | 8,584 | 9,010 | 9,992 | 11,397 | 12,137 |
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113. | Prilly | 10,682 | 10,488 | 10,672 | 11'430 | 12,058 |
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114. | Le Grand-Saconnex | 7,134 | 8,269 | 9,736 | 11'435 | 12,033 |
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115. | Rüti | 10,708 | 10,807 | 11,376 | 11,966 | 12,010 |
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116. | Munchenstein | 11,572 | 11,573 | 11,588 | 11,780 | 11,882 |
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117. | Münsingen | 9,594 | 10'421 | 10,974 | 10,845 | 11,646 |
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118. | Affoltern am Albis | 9,351 | 9,933 | 10,176 | 11'091 | 11,552 |
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119. | Belp | 8,334 | 8,994 | 9,565 | 10'221 | 11'466 |
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120. | Worb | 11,100 | 10,779 | 11,137 | 11,364 | 11'423 |
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121. | Bassersdorf | 6,808 | 7,373 | 9,314 | 11,077 | 11,404 |
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122. | Arth | 9,288 | 9,963 | 9,925 | 10,699 | 11,301 |
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123. | Pfaffikon | 8,947 | 9,332 | 9,951 | 10,627 | 11'275 |
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124. | Altstätten 1 | 10,293 | 10,283 | 10,547 | 10,819 | 11'273 |
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125. | Ittigen | 10,836 | 10,997 | 10,839 | 10,946 | 11'250 |
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126. | Zofingen 1 | 8,513 | 8,601 | 10'228 | 10,803 | 11'210 |
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127. | La Tour-de-Peilz 1 | 10,182 | 10,118 | 10,474 | 10,786 | 11'197 |
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128. | Davos | 11'232 | 12,013 | 10,817 | 11'166 | 11'136 |
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129. | Chêne-Bougeries | 9,624 | 9,709 | 10'061 | 10,400 | 11'105 |
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130. | Brugg 1 | 9,208 | 9'162 | 9,037 | 10,386 | 11,104 |
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131. | Spreitenbach | 8,797 | 9,045 | 9,982 | 10,465 | 11'040 |
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132. | Weinfelden | 9,301 | 9,366 | 9,519 | 10,383 | 11'039 |
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133. | Veyrier GE | 7,756 | 8,986 | 9,553 | 10'003 | 10,999 |
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134. | Oberwil | 8,843 | 9'433 | 9,962 | 10'442 | 10,917 |
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135. | Val-de-Travers NE | 10,896 | 10,794 | 10,834 | 10,812 | 10,854 |
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136. | Hinwil | 8,705 | 9,081 | 9,761 | 10,379 | 10,799 |
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137. | Möhlin | 7,832 | 8,292 | 8,884 | 10'023 | 10,746 |
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138. | Romanshorn | 7'199 | 8'432 | 9,008 | 9,711 | 10,659 |
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139. | Männedorf | 7,699 | 8'244 | 9,582 | 10'442 | 10,537 |
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140 | Le Locle | 10,977 | 10,349 | 10'226 | 10'049 | 10'433 |
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141. | Neuhausen am Rheinfall | 10,626 | 10'062 | 9,880 | 10,185 | 10,331 |
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142. | Flawil | 9,154 | 9,320 | 9,971 | 10,150 | 10,323 |
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143. | Birsfelden | 11,049 | 10,243 | 10,240 | 10,352 | 10,313 |
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144. | Plan-les-Ouates | 8,974 | 9'265 | 9,548 | 9,807 | 10,281 |
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145. | Sarnen 2 | 8,799 | 9'218 | 9,445 | 9,891 | 10'232 |
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146. | Aesch | 9,555 | 9,801 | 9,880 | 10'219 | 10'155 |
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147. | Zollikofen | 8,817 | 9,101 | 9,548 | 9,690 | 10,097 |
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148. | Risch | 6,073 | 7'218 | 8'419 | 9,085 | 10'036 |
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bold : canton capital in
italics : largest city in the canton
1 place with historical town charter
2 town with historical market charter
3 the figures before 2010 refer to the town of Jona (2007 merger with Rapperswil)
4 in the column "2010" for Glarus there is the information on the 1st January 2011, because at this point in time the population rose from 5556 to 12,291 due to a new community structure.
5 In the “2010” column, Glarus Nord is given as of January 1, 2011, as the municipality was newly created at this point in time through a new municipality.
6 Newly created by a municipal merger in 2013
Cities with less than 10,000 inhabitants
This list shows in alphabetical order all those places with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants that historically (city law / market law ) fulfill the «city» criterion. The population figures given reflect the results of the census of December 5, 2000 and refer to the definition of economic residence.
(VZ = census)
1 has only historical market rights, no town charter
2 since 1972 part of the municipality of Brig-Glis
3 since 2004 part of the town of Bulle
Places with expired city rights
The population figures given reflect the results of the census of December 5, 2000 and refer to the definition of economic residence.
(VZ = census)
Agglomerations by population
The largest agglomerations in Switzerland as defined by the FSO are (as of December 31, 2018):
rank | Agglomeration | Residents | Number of municipalities (including core city) |
---|---|---|---|
1. | Zurich | 1,384,728 | 149 |
2. | Geneva | 597,269 (902,511 *) | 88 |
3. | Basel | 550,152 (851,596 *) | 107 |
4th | Lausanne | 424,622 | 127 |
5. | Bern | 419,983 | 70 |
6th | Lucerne | 231,246 | 19th |
7th | St. Gallen | 167'214 | 23 |
8th. | Lugano | 151'122 | 51 |
9. | Winterthur | 143'428 | 8th |
10. | train | 132,206 | 14th |
11. | Baden - Brugg | 111'438 | 15th |
12. | Freiburg | 109,106 | 31 |
13. | Biel / Bienne | 106,864 | 26th |
14th | Olten - Zofingen | 101,685 | 21st |
15th | Manners | 87,380 | 17th |
* According to the Federal Statistical Office, the agglomeration of Basel and the agglomeration of Geneva have 902,511 inhabitants (as of 2017).
See also
- Municipality (Switzerland)
- List of German names of Swiss places
- Abolished political communities in Switzerland
- List of city lists by country
Web links
- Agglomerations, Federal Statistical Office
- international agglomerations, Federal Statistical Office
- Federal Office for statistics
- City Population - The largest cities and agglomerations in Switzerland
Individual evidence
- ↑ Federal Statistical Office: Supplementary Information - The Statistics of Population and Households (STATPOP) ( Memento from November 16, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Federal Statistical Office: Balance of the permanent resident population by district and municipality
- ↑ Balance of the permanent resident population by district and municipality, 1991-2017 , Federal Statistical Office, August 31, 2018, accessed on January 10, 2019
- ↑ For 2010 to 2017 also: Permanent resident population by age, canton, district and municipality, 2010–2017 , Federal Statistical Office, August 31, 2018, accessed on January 10, 2019
- ↑ Urban Audit 2016: cross-border data for Geneva and Basel. Federal Statistical Office, April 27, 2017, accessed on October 11, 2017 .
- ↑ a b Federal Statistical Office: Official register of municipalities in Switzerland ( Memento from July 18, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Urban population: agglomerations and isolated cities. Federal Statistical Office, August 31, 2019, accessed on September 13, 2019 .
- ↑ Cross-border City Statistics: Demography. Federal Statistical Office, December 12, 2019, accessed on December 14, 2019 .