After a tight race, final figures were close to initial projections with 54.79 percent of the population rejecting the "No to a Switzerland with 10 million!" initiative.
Initial projections had indicated around 55 percent opposition to the proposal.
Swiss Justice Minister Beat Jans welcomed the vote, telling a press conference that the Swiss people "have sent a signal of stability, openness, and reliability".
The final result came in around 6pm, with 13 of the country's 23 cantons, including Basel-Stadt and Land, Geneva and Zurich, voted 'no'.
The contentious campaign by the hard-right SVP had sought to drastically reduce the influx of foreigners to Switzerland, to prevent the country’s population from exceeding the 10-million mark before 2050. The wealthy Alpine nation's population currently stands at 9.1 million.
The populist party, which stood alone on this campaign, said higher numbers would overburden key infrastructure, such as housing, public transport, the health system, and schools.
In a country where foreigners make up more than a quarter of the population, the proposal, if accepted, would have slammed the brakes on immigration.
For the proposal to pass, it would have needed to win not just a majority of votes cast but also majorities in more than half of Switzerland's 26 cantons.
'Important result'
Swiss employers and unions alike welcomed the result.
"This is an important result for our country and for our relations with the EU," said Monika Ruhl, director of the employers' organisation economiesuisse, speaking to public broadcaster RTS.
The rejection of the initiative is "an enormous relief," Social Democratic (SP) party co-president Cédric Wermuth agreed, telling 20 Minuten that the campaign had affected him very deeply.
"I have rarely experienced so much anger and hatred," he said, adding that a great deal of pressure had now been lifted.
The Swiss Trade Union Federation also agreed, saying in a statement that "by rejecting the SVP initiative, the Swiss people have said no to isolationism and xenophobia".
"In the end, the arguments were convincing that a rigid cap is not a solution. The people don’t want that," said Yvonne Bürgin, parliamentary group leader of the Centre Party in the National Council (Zurich).
However, speaking after the provisional results, she said that this should not be the end of the debate, but rather a mandate for politicians. "We must take the growing pains seriously," she said.
Strong turnout in cities
SVP meanwhile said voters had missed an opportunity to address the "colossal challenges" posed by "mass immigration".
SVP president Marcel Dettling was quick to express his disappointment: "Switzerland has nothing to celebrate today [...]. I see that rural areas agree, and that the cities simply wipe the country out when it comes to forming opinions."
A strong turnout in cities due to the implications of a 'yes' vote for the economy and bilateral agreements corrected the 'yes' trend in rural areas, said Lucas Golder, political scientist at GFS Bern, broadcaster SRF reported.
Over 65 percent of those in Geneva voted down the anti-immigration proposal and 73.48 percent in Basel-Stadt, the canton which most strongly opposed the initiative. In Zurich, the figure was 60.03 percent.
Turnout for the vote reached nearly 59 percent – far higher than the average of 49 percent for popular votes in Switzerland in recent years.
While SVP had suffered a defeat, Pascal Sciarini, a political scientist at the University of Geneva, told AFP that it was "a minor one", pointing out that the party, which garners around 30 percent of the vote in parliament, had won over 45 percent of voters with its proposal.
SVP parliamentarian Thomas Aeschi agreed, insisting to AFP that Sunday's result sent "a very strong message".
He said it showed that a "very large portion of the Swiss population does not want that this immigration as we've seen it today continues".
READ ALSO: Everything you need to know to understand Switzerland’s 'No to 10 million vote'
Conscientious objection vote passes
The Swiss also voted and approved on Sunday a new law aiming to make civilian service less attractive and less accessible in favour of military service.
The war in Ukraine and other geopolitical tensions are pushing European countries to bolster army numbers.
The referendum passed with 52.46 percent of voters in favour, the final result showed.
It was the political left in the militarily neutral country that called the referendum. They argue the bill is dangerous and could ultimately lead to the alternative to military service being scrapped altogether.
Switzerland has compulsory military service for men. They serve in a unique militia system in which army conscripts do at least four months' service before being called up repeatedly over a decade for weeks-long refresher sessions.
People who conscientiously oppose military service have since 1996 been permitted to perform civilian service instead.
Since access to civilian service was simplified in 2009, the numbers choosing that option have steadily climbed – a trend the government warns has become "problematic".
With reporting by AFP
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