Largest cities in Switzerland by population
The 14 cities the United Nations Demographic Yearbook 2024 lists for Switzerland: the capital and every city of 100,000 or more, with the latest figure the country reported. The largest is Zürich with 423,193 people; the capital, Berne, has 134,290.
Who runs cities in Switzerland?
Communes (Gemeinden/communes/comuni, about 2,100; 2,148 in 2022): Executive council elected; legislature is either a communal assembly of all citizens or an elected parliament. Schools, local planning, social assistance, utilities, local taxes; they also play a part in granting citizenship.
How local power works in Switzerland · Level 3: local councils worldwide
| # | City | Population | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zürich | 423,193 | 31 December 2021 |
| 2 | Genève | 203,401 | 31 December 2021 |
| 3 | Bâle | 173,064 | 31 December 2021 |
| 4 | Lausanne | 140,619 | 31 December 2021 |
| 5 | Berne (capital) | 134,290 | 31 December 2021 |
| 6 | Winterthur | 115,129 | 31 December 2021 |
| 7 | Luzern | 82,922 | 31 December 2021 |
| 8 | St. Gallen | 76,328 | 31 December 2021 |
| 9 | Lugano | 62,123 | 31 December 2021 |
| 10 | Biel/Bienne | 55,140 | 31 December 2021 |
| 11 | Fribourg | 37,645 | 31 December 2021 |
| 12 | Baden-Brugg | 32,566 | 31 December 2021 |
| 13 | Zug | 31,345 | 31 December 2021 |
| 14 | Olten-Zofingen | 30,678 | 31 December 2021 |
Countries define a city in different ways (the city proper, or the wider urban area) and report in different years, so cities in different countries are not always comparable.
More on Switzerland: official statistics · government and power · regions
Sources
- United Nations Statistics Division: Demographic Yearbook 2024, Table 8: Population of capital cities and cities of 100 000 or more inhabitants, latest available year, 2005-2024, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0c6784df022e…)
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