Switzerland is set for a dramatic referendum on whether to cap its population at ten million, in a move that could reignite the country’s long-running immigration debate.
The controversial proposal, pushed by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP), has secured enough signatures to trigger a nationwide vote on June 14, the Swiss government confirmed on Wednesday.
If approved, the plan would enshrine in law a strict limit on Switzerland’s permanent resident population – including citizens and foreigners with residency permits – preventing it from exceeding ten million before 2050.
According to the federal statistics office, Switzerland had around 9.1 million residents by the end of the third quarter of 2025, with roughly 30 per cent born abroad in recent years.
Most immigrants have come from European Union countries, with some later taking Swiss citizenship.
Under the proposal, once the population reaches 9.5 million, the government would be forced to intervene with measures such as tightening asylum rules, restricting family reunification, limiting residency permits, and even renegotiating international agreements.
Supporters argue the move is necessary to protect Switzerland’s environment, infrastructure, natural resources and social services from the pressures of population growth.
The referendum is part of Switzerland’s system of direct democracy, which allows voters to shape policy directly through multiple nationwide ballots each year.
Representatives of the Swiss People’s Party (SVP UDC) stand next to a banner reading in German: ‘No 10 million Switzerland! sustainability initiative’ after the handover of signatures required for a Swiss popular initiative to vote to limit population growth in Switzerland, in Bern on April 3, 2024
The SVP has spent years campaigning to curb immigration into the wealthy Alpine nation, though with mixed success.
Its latest push comes amid a wider surge in anti-immigration sentiment across parts of the Western world.
But critics across much of Switzerland’s political spectrum warn the proposal dangerously oversimplifies a complex issue and risks harming the country’s close ties with neighbouring nations.
They point out that Switzerland relies heavily on foreign workers in hospitals, hotels, construction and universities, and warn that curbs on migration and free movement would breach existing international commitments.
Switzerland is part of the Schengen zone, which allows visa-free travel across 29 countries representing around 450 million people – though, unlike most members, it is not in the European Union, alongside Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
It is, however, integrated through over 120 bilateral agreements, granting it access to the EU single market and the free movement of people and trade in goods.
The SVP, which has finished first in every election since 1999, argues that Switzerland is having a ‘population explosion’ that is putting pressure on public services, straining infrastructure and inflating rents.
The party is alone in its support for the population limit among members of the executive Federal Council – a seven-seat coalition which makes decisions by majority and votes to oppose the initiative.
But a poll conducted last year by the Swiss-based polling firm Leewas indicates the proposal has wide support.
Switzerland’s referendum system allows for proposals to be put to a public vote if they gather at least 100,000 signatures from eligible voters within 18 months.
In a post on its X account, the SVP urged the Swiss electorate to vote in favour of the motion by sharing a seemingly AI-generated image of wealthy people toasting champagne on a throne above a crowd of disgruntled workers.
The caption read: ‘A small economic elite profits from the excessive immigration – the majority of the Swiss population suffers.’