Some 617,600 Swiss abroad hold at least one additional nationality. Since 2017 (the first year for which the FSO produced statistics on the Swiss abroad), this figure has increased at a higher rate than the number of Swiss abroad with just one nationality (+10.2% compared with +9.4%).
The proportion of Swiss nationals with citizenship of more than one country is highest in Latin America and the Caribbean (84%), followed by Oceania (81%) and North America (79%). The highest shares at the national level are found in Argentina (95%) and Chile (92%).
The proportion of Swiss nationals with citizenship of more than one country living in Asia and Africa is particularly low (63% and 66%, respectively). Among the countries with the largest Swiss expatriate communities, Thailand has the lowest proportion of Swiss nationals with citizenship of more than one country (37%). Other countries in Asia have much higher shares, though, with Israel (86%) being one example.
Multiple nationalities and age
Overall, the age groups with the highest proportion of Swiss abroad who hold more than one nationality are the under 18s (85%), followed by those aged 18 to 64 (75%) and 65 or older (65%). Some countries show marked differences between age groups with regard to multiple nationalities. Among the countries with the largest Swiss expatriate communities, Thailand shows the strongest divergence between age groups. The share of Swiss nationals with citizenship of more than one country is 80% among the under 18s, but drops to 42% among those aged 18 to 64, and 21% among those aged 65 or more. Germany, Austria and Spain also show significant differences between age groups. In all three countries, a majority of Swiss under 18 (around 80%) have at least two nationalities, while less than half of senior citizens do.
