Switzerland will hold a referendum to limit its population to 10 million people by 2050, Deutsche Welle reports.
The initiative came from the far-right Swiss People’s Party, which gathered enough signatures to put the issue to a vote on June 14.
The proposal calls for changing the Swiss constitution in such a way that the country’s population, including Swiss citizens and foreigners with residence permits, cannot exceed 10 million people by 2050. If the population reaches 9.5 million, the government will take measures to limit it, such as regulating asylum and residence permits.
In the event that the population of the country reaches 10 million people, the Swiss government will try to “renegotiate international agreements that stimulate population growth”. This could also lead to a possible withdrawal of the country from the agreement with the EU on free movement.
According to the Swiss People’s Party, the country’s largest party, the population explosion is pushing up rents and housing prices and putting pressure on infrastructure and public services.
However, the proposal faces opposition from Switzerland’s collective governing body, known as the Federal Council, as well as from most political forces and business associations. Without migration, they argue, Switzerland will face labor shortages in healthcare, public transport, hospitality and construction.
The Federal Statistical Office states that at the end of the third quarter of 2025, Switzerland’s population was 9.1 million people, with people born abroad making up about 30% of it. Most of them came from EU countries and some acquired Swiss citizenship.
Switzerland holds referendums four times a year. The country follows a model of direct democracy that allows any proposal supported by at least 100,000 signatures to be put to a popular vote. However, the majority of these referendums are not successful.
date:2026-02-13 08:36:00