Share of population living in urbanized areas in Switzerland

Switzerland: Share of population living in urbanized areas was 77.0% in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
77.0%
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
63rd
of 202 countries
All-time high
77.0%
in 2025
All-time low
0.0%
in 1000
Years of data
108
1000–2025

Share of population living in urbanized areas in Switzerland, 1000–2025

020406080100015122025

Source: HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Switzerland recorded 77.0% for share of population living in urbanized areas in 2025. That is the highest value across all 108 years on record.

The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 4.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urbanized areas in Switzerland peaked at 77.0% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1000.

Switzerland ranks 63rd of 202 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1000s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1100s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1200s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1300s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1400s 0.7% 0.7% 0.7% 1
1500s 2.4% 2.4% 2.4% 1
1600s 2.5% 2.5% 2.5% 1
1700s 3.3% 3.3% 3.3% 1
1710s 3.5% 3.5% 3.5% 1
1720s 3.9% 3.9% 3.9% 1
1730s 4.3% 4.3% 4.3% 1
1740s 4.8% 4.8% 4.8% 1
1750s 5.4% 5.4% 5.4% 1
1760s 6.0% 6.0% 6.0% 1
1770s 6.6% 6.6% 6.6% 1
1780s 7.4% 7.4% 7.4% 1
1790s 8.2% 8.2% 8.2% 1
1800s 9.1% 9.1% 9.1% 1
1810s 10.1% 10.1% 10.1% 1
1820s 11.2% 11.2% 11.2% 1
1830s 12.5% 12.5% 12.5% 1
1840s 13.8% 13.8% 13.8% 1
1850s 15.4% 15.4% 15.4% 1
1860s 17.0% 17.0% 17.0% 1
1870s 18.9% 18.9% 18.9% 1
1880s 20.9% 20.9% 20.9% 1
1890s 23.1% 23.1% 23.1% 1
1900s 25.5% 25.5% 25.5% 1
1910s 28.2% 28.2% 28.2% 1
1920s 31.3% 31.3% 31.3% 1
1930s 34.8% 34.8% 34.8% 1
1940s 38.6% 38.6% 38.6% 1
1950s 45.6% 42.8% 48.6% 10
1960s 52.0% 49.2% 54.7% 10
1970s 55.4% 55.2% 55.7% 10
1980s 62.4% 55.4% 69.9% 10
1990s 71.8% 71.5% 72.1% 10
2000s 71.6% 71.6% 71.7% 10
2010s 73.4% 71.7% 75.0% 10
2020s 76.2% 75.4% 77.0% 6

Countries ranked near Switzerland

  1. 60 Russia 78.8% compare
  2. 61 Oman 78.4% compare
  3. 62 Malaysia 77.4% compare
  4. 64 Bulgaria 76.8% compare
  5. 65 Iran 76.4% compare
  6. 66 Suriname 75.4% compare

See the full ranking of 202 places →

More population data for Switzerland

All data for Switzerland →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urbanized areas in Switzerland?
Share of population living in urbanized areas in Switzerland was 77.0% in 2025, according to HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in urbanized areas recorded in Switzerland?
The highest recorded value was 77.0% in 2025.
What is the lowest share of population living in urbanized areas recorded in Switzerland?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1000.
How does Switzerland rank for share of population living in urbanized areas?
Switzerland ranks 63rd out of 202 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of population living in urbanized areas rising or falling in Switzerland?
Over the last ten years it is up 4.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Switzerland data come from?
The figures come from HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urbanized areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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CSV · JSON — 108 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urbanized areas
Unit
%
Source
HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
202 places, 21,784 data points, 1000–2025
Last refreshed

Share of population living in urban areas in a country over time.