General

The population of Switzerland in 2003 was estimated by the United Nations at 7,169,000, which placed it as number 93 in population among the 193 nations of the world. In that year approximately 15% of the population was over 65 years of age, with another 17% of the population under 15 years of age. There were 98 males for every 100 females in the country in 2003. According to the UN, the annual population growth rate for 2000-2005 is -0.05%, with the projected population for the year 2015 at 7,010,000. The population density in 2002 was 176 per sq km (457 per sq mi).

It was estimated by the Population Reference Bureau that 68% of the population lived in urban areas in 2001. The capital city, Bern, had a population of 344,000 in that year. The largest metropolitan area is Zurich, with 984,000 residents in 2000. Other large cities include Basel, 176,270; Geneva, 171,747; and Lausanne, 117,153. According to the UN, the urban population growth rate for 2000-2005 was 0.6%.

Overview

Population
7,554,661(July 2007 est.)

Age structure
0-14 years: 16.1% (male 630,341/female 584,167)
15-64 years: 68.2% (male2,596,996/female 2,553,108)
65 years and over: 15.8% (male489,895/female 700,154) (2007 est.)

Median age
total: 40.4 years
male: 39.3 years
female: 41.4 years (2007 est.)

Population growth rate
0.381%(2007 est.)

Birth rate
9.66births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Death rate
8.51deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Net migration rate
2.66migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)