The city of Zurich is growing. As “Stadt Zürich Statistics” writes, the city on the Limmatt had 436,332 inhabitants at the end of 2021. In 2020 there were 1596 fewer. 3,848 people are still missing to break the 1962 population record. Contrary to various reports, the current statistics do not confirm an exodus from the city. Because in connection with Corona, the thesis of a pandemic-related city flight was discussed again and again.
The fact is, however, that more and more people have moved away from the city of Zurich over the past decade. With the exception of a brief drop in 2017, the number of people moving away has steadily increased. This trend has weakened again since 2020 and the start of the corona pandemic.
Increasing number of departures is deceptive
However, the increasing number of people moving away should be treated with caution, because at the same time the city of Zurich has grown continuously since 2011. The number of departures was more than compensated for by the new arrivals. Last year, immigration and emigration were at about the same level.
As the canton of Zurich writes in a statement, the moves could also be a result of the declining residential construction activity in the city of Zurich. Accordingly, the city would not have become less attractive, but simply offers too little new living space.
The 2000s make Zurich young again
In addition to immigration, the birth rate also plays a role in population growth. Although the number of births has increased slightly since 2017, the city is not talking about a baby boom, because the increase in newborns is only 2 percent compared to the previous year.
Other vintages play a much larger role here. Adolescents born in the 2000s not only boosted the population, but also rejuvenated the city. The number of 10 to 19 year olds has increased by 20 percent since 2013, according to the City of Zurich Statistics. The situation is different for the older residents of Zurich. For 10 years there have been fewer and fewer 80-year-olds and older. The reason for this is obvious: while the interwar cohorts were still booming, they were followed by the baby boomer cohorts of the Second World War. (SDA/ced)