Unpublished: Switzerland votes to limit its population to 10 million people (and ban all types of immigration)

If the referendum, for which the polls practically show a technical tie, goes ahead, the country would have a serious crisis with the European Union and might have to ban all types of immigration.

The proposal arose from Swiss People’s Partya xenophobic far-right formation that could achieve a historic victory if citizens approve its initiative. The Swiss government rejects the planbut if it goes ahead in a referendum you will have to apply it.

No country in the world has ever set a limit to its population. Switzerland had about 9.1 million people at the end of 2025. The population is growing at a higher rate than most of its European neighbors. In the last decade it grew by 10% and since the beginning of the century by 23%. Most of these migrants are not from sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East or the Maghreb, but from the rest of Europe.

The proposal has its origins in 2023, when the Swiss People’s Party proposed limiting population growth so that the country will never have 10 million inhabitants.

According to the extreme right, it was necessary to protect the Swiss way of life and protect the environment from excessive pressure. Because a good part of their arguments to defend the affirmative vote in the referendum are not about limiting immigration but environmental protection. They claim that the Swiss natural environment cannot cope with more demographic pressure.

The proposal seeks a constitutional change that allows a strict limit to be placed on the arrival of migrants or asylum seekersand even to its total prohibition.

The plan is to reach 9.5 million inhabitants by 2035. Not one more. That would be done toughening immigration policy and restricting the right to asylum and family reunification. Furthermore, in this first phase the Swiss Government should review all its international agreements to ensure that they respect this measure.

If this limit of 10 million people is exceeded at any time, the proposal foresees, the Government would have to “take all available measures”, including withdrawing from international agreements that facilitate migration to Switzerland, but maintaining the agreement with the European Union that provides for the freedom of movement and residence of its citizens.

If by taking these measures the population does not drop below 10 million people in less than two years, then yes the Government, the proposal assures, should suspend agreements with its European neighbors. These agreements allow citizens of the 27 countries of the European Union move around Switzerland -and establish themselves in the country- as in the rest of the bloc. It also works this way in European countries that are not members of the European Union, like Norway or Iceland.

Maintain this freedom of movement and establishment for European citizens It is something essential if Switzerland wants to continue maintaining good relations with its neighbors. And if you want to maintain other agreements, such as commercial ones and their access to the European common market without quotas or tariffs.

Of the 9.1 million people residing in Switzerland at the end of last year, 1.5 million are nationals of European Union countries. The extreme right’s proposal foresees that, ultimately and to comply with this agreement, their residence permits could be called into question.

The extreme right does not sell the referendum only from an immigration point of view, but also as a key moment for the country’s environment. He assures that the current population is already large and endangers the country’s environmental conversation.

The largest business association in the country assures that it is a “chaos initiative” and that the country must recognize that “it will continue to depend on foreign labor in the future.” The Swiss Government assures that a yes in the referendum this Sunday will isolate the country.