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More people, but fewer babies in Zurich

Wednesday, 14 February 2024 06:30

There are more people living in the city of Zurich than ever before – but the birth rate is showing a dramatic decline.

Cantonal figures show at the end of last year, there 450,000 people in Switzerland’s largest city. 150,000 were non-Swiss.

The largest single foreign group is German. 

But the biggest surprise is a collapsing birth rate. The number of babies born in the city is down 13 percent since 2021 – especially for first time parents, where the trend is even sharper at 17%.

The statisticians say they can’t see any covid effects from these numbers. 

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