Switzerland – a little bit (more) of everything 5 Switzerland is one of the five best-rated countries in the world. In 2025, it maintained its image as a stable, prosperous and reliable nation with trustworthy institutions and a high quality of life. It is seen by the international community as synonymous with success, even in these uncertain times. SOURCE: FDFA 25% One quarter of the population speak a native language that is not one of Switzerland’s four official languages. English is the most common non-official language, followed by Albanian and Portuguese. It is particularly young people, Swiss with immigrant backgrounds, and non-Swiss who often use more than one primary language. Switzerland is even more linguistically diverse than its four national languages would suggest. SOURCE: FSO 15,000 Switzerland has an egg shortage. The relevant import quota has been increased by 15,000 tonnes, so that some 240 million extra eggs can be imported at a lower rate of duty from 1 May 2026 until the end of the year. This is because supply is unable to keep up with demand. Annual per capita consumption in Switzerland amounts to 197.7 eggs. SOURCE: FEDERAL OFFICE FOR AGRICULTURE (FOAG) 409,000 This is the number of overnight stays reported by the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) in 2025 – a new record. The SAC’s most popular Alpine hut was the Lämmerenhütte on the Gemmi Pass in the canton of Valais, which hosted 10,053 overnight stays. As the Alps become increasingly popular, an SAC-commissioned study has revealed that one third of SAC huts could become unstable due to melting permafrost. Food for thought. SOURCE: SAC 0.4 Life expectancy in Switzerland has increased – by 0.4 years for women and 0.3 years for men. Newborns can now expect to live until they are 86.3 years old if they are female, or until the age of 82.7 if they are male. Age demographics are shifting too, with the over-65s now outnumbering the under-20s for the first time. A population getting older, and living longer, has far-reaching implications for the state pension, the labour market, and lawmakers. SOURCE: FSO Imprint “Swiss Review”, the magazine for the Swiss Abroad, is in its 51st 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 479,000, including 311,000 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 Walter Schmid, Editor-in-Chief (WS), 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 Roman Häfliger, Basel 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 16 June 2026 CHANGES OF ADDRESS Please advise your local embassy or consulate. The editorial team cannot access your address and administrative data. Thank you. FIGURES COMPILED BY WALTER SCHMID Swiss Review / July 2026 / No. 3 19 Switzerland in figures
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