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International marriages dominate in Switzerland

The Local
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International marriages dominate in Switzerland
File photo: maximka87/Depositphotos"

Fewer than half the weddings that took place in Switzerland last year were between two native Swiss people.

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According to recent figures published by the Swiss statistics office, in only 47 percent of weddings held in 2016 were both partners Swiss. 
 
In 36 percent of cases one half of the couple was non-Swiss, while 16 percent of weddings were between two foreigners.
 
Around a fifth of weddings were between a Swiss man and a foreign woman, while a sixth were between a Swiss woman and a foreign man. 
 
The stats are a reflection of the international nature of a country where some two million residents – a quarter of its population – do not hold a Swiss passport. 
 
The analysis, first picked up by daily 20 Minuten, is even more revealing when broken down per canton. 
 
In Geneva – where 40 percent of the population is foreign – 76 percent of weddings in 2016 involved at least one foreigner, with only 24 percent being between two Swiss citizens. 
 
In the canton of Vaud, where 33 percent of the population is foreign, 66 percent of couples tying the knot were at least one half foreign. That figure rose to nearly 70 percent in Basel-City. 
 
Though immigration has been a bone of contention in Switzerland in recent years, the number of foreigners in the country continues to rise. 
 
 
The biggest foreign populations are Italians, Germans, Portuguese and French. 
 
The economic hubs of Zurich, Geneva and Vaud (including Lausanne) have the highest numbers of foreigners. 
 
 

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