Swiss vote on proposal to cap population at 10 million
Swiss voters will decide whether to support a proposal to cap the country’s population in a referendum similar to Britain’s Brexit vote. This could have far-reaching consequences for the economy and Bern’s relations with the European Union.
The constitutional amendment, put forward by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP) due to immigration concerns and pressures on public services and housing, mandates that the population should not exceed 10 million by 2050.
Official estimates call for reaching this goal by the early 2040s.
The unprecedented plan to set population levels by law stands alongside burgeoning efforts by Europe’s political right to impose tougher curbs on immigration, fueled by discontent over the cost of living, weak economic growth and crime.
“If it goes above 10 million, it will become congested and immigration needs to be restricted,” said Helen Gulea, a 58-year-old seamstress and part-time kiosk worker in Zurich, who is originally from Kenya and voted for hats by mail.
The results of the vote are expected to start coming in from midday (8pm AEST) on Sunday.
If the proposal is accepted, reaching the 10 million figure would trigger a process that could lead Switzerland to cancel its free movement of labor agreement with the EU, whose member states provide most of the Alpine country’s workforce.
Switzerland’s aging population is already over nine million, and polls show public opinion is fairly balanced.
The latest poll this month showed that views were against the proposal. A previous poll had suggested it could pass.
Patrick Leisibach, a migration expert at think tank Avenir Suisse, said concerns were now widespread that overcrowding was straining public infrastructure to the limit.
“There is a traditional anti-immigration vote on the right, but these days many people on the left are feeling the pressure as well,” he said.
Under the system of direct democracy, Swiss voters generally vote in national referendums four times a year, which require the support of a majority of the cantons to pass.
The government and parliament have called on voters to reject the SVP’s so-called “sustainability initiative” at a sensitive time for Switzerland’s export-oriented economy.
In 2025, President Donald Trump imposed the highest US tariffs on Swiss goods in Europe, and the prospect of population restrictions could complicate corporate planning.
But SVP MP Thomas Matter argued that Switzerland’s welfare gains had not kept pace with overall immigration and that the country needed to put the brakes on.
Weeks before Trump’s return to power, Switzerland signed an agreement with Brussels to deepen economic integration with the EU.
This and other agreements governing bilateral trade relations may be thrown into doubt by the population ceiling along with free movement, which is the mainstay of the EU single market.
