People walk on the Bahnhofstrasse shopping street in Zurich, Switzerland, 3 December 2022;
Credit: Reuters/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo
ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss voters look set to reject a referendum proposal to cap the country's population at ten million people, according to an opinion poll published on Wednesday 3 June 2026.
Concern about rapid growth in Switzerland's population, which climbed to 9.1 million last year from 7.3 million in 2002, and its impact on public infrastructure has fed support for the proposal.
The initiative, which goes to a vote on Sunday 14 June 2026, stipulates the permanent resident population must not exceed ten million before 2050, and that Switzerland should end its freedom of movement accord with the European Union.
About 52% of the 19,400 respondents polled between 19 and 27 May 2026 are against the proposal, with 45% in favour, according to the survey carried out by GFS Bern for public broadcaster SRG. The rest were undecided.
A previous poll carried out at the end of April showed the Swiss evenly split, with 47% in favour and 47% against.
The Swiss government is opposed to the initiative launched by the right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP), saying it will damage cooperation with the EU, Switzerland's main trade partner, hurting the economy.
Its supporters have cited concerns about infrastructure, particularly housing, transport, schools and hospitals, becoming overloaded due to the strong increase in immigration.
Other arguments have included using immigration controls to protect the environment from rapid population growth and to curb crime and violence.
Opponents cited concerns about a breach with the EU that a legal limit on immigration would cause, while others said Switzerland needed foreign skilled workers.
