GENEVA — Switzerland will hold a referendum on a proposal to cap the rich Alpine country's population at 10 million, the latest bid by the top right-wing party to limit immigration. Passage could trigger a new showdown with its European neighbors.
Proponents of the initiative, led by the anti-immigration Swiss People's Party that has the most seats in parliament, tallied enough petition signatures to put the issue on national ballots on June 14, the government said Wednesday.
The federal statistics office says Switzerland had 9.1 million people as of the end of the third quarter of 2025. Traditionally, people born abroad have made up about 30% of that in recent years. Most have come from European Union countries. Some have taken Swiss citizenship.
The proposal would enshrine into law rules that Switzerland's permanent resident population — both Swiss citizens and foreigners with residency papers — must not exceed 10 million before 2050.
If the population reaches 9.5 million before then the government would take steps to limit it such as through measures on asylum, family reunification, residency permit issuance and renegotiating international agreements.
The idea, proponents say, would be to help protect the environment, natural resources, infrastructure and the social safety net from strains of population growth.
The vote is part of Switzerland's direct democracy that gives voters a direct say in policymaking, usually four times a year, through the ballot box.
For years, the party — known as SVP by its German-language acronym — has sought to curb a rise in migration into the rich Alpine country with mixedresults. Many other Western countries have seen rising anti-immigration sentiment too.
