| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 37,339 (2025)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Zurich, Bern, Lucerne, Basel | |
| Languages | |
| Tigrinya, Tigre, Kunama, Afar, German, French, Italian | |
| Religion | |
| Christian (Eritrean Orthodox, Catholic), Islam |
Eritreans in Switzerland are citizens of residents of Switzerland who were born in Eritrea or are of Eritrean descent. As of 2025, there are 37,339 Eritreans living in Switzerland. Eritreans also form Switzerland's largest immigrant group from an African country.
History
[edit]The first interaction between Germany and Eritrea began in 1960s when Switzerland build bilateral relations with several African countries, including then Ethiopia.[2]
Many Eritreans fled to Switzerland since the outbreak of Eritrean War of Independence where they came as refugees and asylum-seekers.[3] Due to strict Swiss immigration laws, many Eritreans moved from Switzerland to Germany and Sweden.
Eritreans in Switzerland formed a little football league named "Eri Swiss league". Eri Basel, formed in 2020 was the first Swiss football team formed by Eritrean communities.[4]
Demographics
[edit]Both cantons of Zurich and Bern holds large Eritrean community with having more than 5,000 people. Zurich is the Swiss city with largest Eritrean community with 3,385 Eritreans living the city as of 2024.[5]
| Numbers of Eritreans in Swiss cantons | |||||||||
| # | Canton[1] | People | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Zurich | 5,834 | |||||||
| 2. | Bern | 5,386 | |||||||
| 3. | Aargau | 3,503 | |||||||
| 4. | Vaud | 3,089 | |||||||
| 5. | Lucerne | 2,489 | |||||||
| 6. | St. Gallen | 2,475 | |||||||
| 7. | Geneva | 2,016 | |||||||
| 8. | Solothurn | 1,735 | |||||||
| 9. | Basel-Stadt | 1,476 | |||||||
| 10. | Fribourg | 1,412 | |||||||
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Ausländerstatistik März 2025
- ^ [https://www.sozialarchiv.ch/2020/07/10/vor-60-jahren-das-afrikanische-jahr-und-die-schweiz/#:~:text=F%C3%BCr%2520die%2520offizielle%2520Schweiz%2520bedeutete,k%C3%B6nnen%252C%2520in%2520die%2520neuen%2520Hauptst%C3%A4dte. Vor 60 Jahren: Das „Afrikanische Jahr“ und die Schweiz]
- ^ Bilateral relations Switzerland–Eritrea
- ^ Projekt «Eri Swiss League – Empowerment»
- ^ Nationalität und ausländische Bevölkerung