Books and other food for thought 15 Are you a prolific reader? If so, you’re not alone. Did you know that the Swiss are Europe’s biggest readers of books? Swiss women in particular love reading. One in four read over 15 books a year. More than any other European nation. And the printed medium is still very much alive and kicking in Switzerland: 80 per cent of us mainly read books, not e-books. Source: YouGov survey, 2025 99 Talking of exercise: 99 per cent of residents in Zurich are able to access all their essential everyday amenities on foot or by bike within 15 minutes. Zurich tops the list of the world’s most walkable cities. When people live within 15 minutes of all their daily necessities, this not only makes a city more sustainable but also leads to better social interaction. Incidentally, the ranking starts on Z (for Zurich) and finishes on A, with the American city of Atlanta languishing at the bottom. Source: M. Bruno et al., Nature Cities 1 3,500 But moving to Zurich in the first place is easier said than done. Renting is expensive there – a four-room 100m2 apartment on the market will cost 3,500 francs a month on average. People who have been living in the same apartment for a long time pay much less in comparison. Anyone moving to Switzerland and hoping for a renter’s market is best advised to try St Gallen or Biel. Source: Wüest Partner 43 Books are food for the brain. But food of the high-calorie sort is very popular too, given that 43 per cent of Swiss are overweight. Not only that, but the proportion of people who are clinically obese has doubled in 30 years. Cheeky question, but could more exercise and less reading be an option? Source: Federal Statistical Office 183, 661 We have saved the biggest number till last. Campaigners launching a new edition of the “Responsible Business Initiative” collected 183,661 signatures within two weeks. Never before has a proposal cleared the first hurdle so quickly in Switzerland. The threshold for triggering a popular vote is 100,000 valid signatures. Source: konzernverantwortung.ch FIGURES COMPILED BY MARC LETTAU “Swiss Review”, the magazine for the Swiss Abroad, is in its 50th year of publication and is published five times a year, in 13 regional editions, in German, French, English and Spanish. It has a total circulation of 469,000, including 299,000 electronic copies. All Swiss Abroad who are registered with a Swiss representation receive the magazine free of charge. Anyone else can subscribe for an annual fee (Switzerland: CHF 30 / Abroad: CHF 50). ONLINE EDITION www.revue.ch EDITORS Marc Lettau, Editor-in-Chief (MUL), Stéphane Herzog (SH), Theodora Peter (TP), Susanne Wenger (SWE), Amandine Madziel, FDFA representative (AM) FDFA OFFICIAL COMMUNICATIONS The editorial responsibility for the “Notes from the Federal Palace” section is assumed by the Consular Directorate, Innovation and Partnerships, Effingerstrasse 27, 3003 Berne, Switzerland. kdip@eda.admin.ch | www.eda.admin.ch ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Airpage AG, Uster/Zurich furrer@airpage.ch | www.airpage.ch The ordering parties are fully responsible for the content of advertisements and promotional inserts. This content does not necessarily represent the opinion of either the editorial office or the publisher. EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Nema Bliggenstorfer (NB) TRANSLATION SwissGlobal Language Services AG, Baden LAYOUT Joseph Haas, Zurich PRINT Vogt-Schild Druck AG, Derendingen PUBLISHER The “Swiss Review” is published by the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad. The postal address of the publisher and the editorial office is: Organisation of the Swiss Abroad, Alpenstrasse 26, 3006 Berne. revue@swisscommunity.org Phone: +41 31 356 61 10 Bank details: CH97 0079 0016 1294 4609 8 / KBBECH22 COPY DEADLINE FOR THIS EDITION 3 March 2025 CHANGES OF ADDRESS Please advise your local embassy or consulate. The editorial team cannot access your address and administrative data. Thank you. Swiss Review / April 2025 / No.2 18 Switzerland in figures Imprint
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