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Immigration boosts Swiss population

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-08-29 09:41

GENEVA -- A labor accord with the European Union has prompted an increase of more than 1 percent in the number of people residing in Switzerland, the official Swissinfo news website reported Thursday.

By the end of last year the permanent resident population in the country had reached nearly 7.6 million.

And the increase of about 85,000 people in 2007 is the strongest annual demographic growth since the early 1990s, according to the website, which quoted figures from the Federal Statistics Office.

The favorable economic situation and a growing number of immigrants from EU countries are the main reasons for the higher figure.

In 2007, more than 165,000 people moved to Switzerland, while 90,000 left the country.

Non-EU member Switzerland has concluded a series of bilateral accords with Brussels notably on trade, labor, transport, security and asylum over the past eight years.

The Federal Statistics Office said a slightly higher birth rate also contributed to the population increase last year.