Around 300'000 people of Albanian origin live in Switzerland – about 3.5 percent of the population. After English, Albanian is the country's second-largest non-national language, and most families have roots in Kosovo and North Macedonia. Here you will find the latest BFS figures by canton, the history of the migration and the community of today.
How many Albanians live in Switzerland?
According to federal estimates, around 300'000 Albanians live in Switzerland – including naturalised citizens and second-generation Albanians (Secondos). At the end of 2024, the Federal Statistical Office also counted 190'764 nationals from Kosovo, North Macedonia and Albania. This makes the Albanian community of the largest population groups with a migration background in Switzerland.
| Nationality | People in Switzerland (31.12.2024) |
|---|---|
| Kosovo | 116'425 |
| North Macedonia | 70'469 |
| Albania | 3'870 |
| Total of these three states | 190'764 |
Source: BFS STATPOP, permanent resident population by nationality.
For more on this topic, read Albanian Inventors You Should Know About and Religion in Albania: Facts you need to know.
Why there is no official "Albanian figure"
In its statistics, Switzerland records nationality, not ethnicity. Anyone who holds a Swiss passport counts as Swiss – and therefore disappears from the foreign-national statistics, even though their Albanian roots remain. Ethnic Albanians from North Macedonia, in turn, are counted as North Macedonians.
The best approximation is therefore language: in 2022, 292'717 people stated Albanian as their main language, around 3.4 percent of the population. According to SRF, the figure is now over 300'000 people, or 3.5 percent. As far back as 2010, the diaspora study by the State Secretariat for Migration estimated the Kosovar community alone at 150'000 to 170'000 people.
Are Kosovars Albanians?
The vast majority of Kosovars are ethnic Albanians – so Kosovars in Switzerland are almost always Albanians too. The reverse is not true: Switzerland's Albanian diaspora comes from three countries. The largest group has roots in Kosovo, followed by Albanians from North Macedonia; families from Albania itself form the smallest group.
What they all share is the language, the culture and often a similar migration history. Anyone who wants to understand the community should therefore look not at the passport, but at language and region of origin.
Where do most Albanians live in Switzerland?
The largest Albanian-speaking population is in the canton of Zurich, with around 48'500 people. The highest share of the population, however, is reached in Aargau: there, 4.9 percent of people aged 15 and over state Albanian as their main language – a Swiss record. Behind it come St. Gallen, Bern, Vaud and Lucerne.
| Canton | Albanian speakers (15+) | Share 15+ |
|---|---|---|
| Zurich | 48'457 | 3.6% |
| Aargau | 29'727 | 4.9% |
| St. Gallen | 20'745 | 4.6% |
| Bern | 19'459 | 2.2% |
| Vaud | 15'896 | 2.3% |
| Lucerne | 13'467 | 3.7% |
| Thurgau | 10'624 | 4.3% |
| Solothurn | 10'283 | 4.2% |
| Geneva | 9'842 | 2.4% |
| Fribourg | 7'640 | 2.7% |
| Switzerland total | 223'194 | 3.0% |
Shown are the ten cantons with the most Albanian speakers – you can see the full distribution across all cantons on the map. Source: BFS Structural Survey 2024 (table T 01.08.01.02, published in March 2026). Counted are people aged 15 and over in private households; each person may list up to three main languages, and children under 15 are not included – so the actual number of Albanian speakers is considerably higher.
One detail surprises many: among Kosovar nationals, Aargau, with 19'185 people, is even ahead of Zurich, with 18'114. And at the municipal level, smaller towns lead the ranking – in Egerkingen SO (9.3%), Reinach AG (9.2%) and Spreitenbach AG, Kosovars make up the highest population shares in the whole of Switzerland.
Why are there so many Albanians in Switzerland?
Albanian migration to Switzerland came in three major waves: labour migration from the 1960s, family reunification in the 1980s and 1990s, and the flight from the Kosovo War in 1998/99. Together they made Switzerland of the most important countries of the Albanian diaspora worldwide.
Seasonal and guest workers (1960s to 1980s)
The first Albanians came as seasonal workers and guest workers from what was then Yugoslavia. From 1964, the Swiss Farmers' Association specifically recruited Yugoslav workers – Kosovo Albanians were disproportionately represented among them. From around 1970, large seasonal-worker contingents worked in the construction sector. Until the 1980s, the community consisted almost exclusively of men who left their families back home and sent money home.
Family reunification (1980s and 1990s)
As the situation in Kosovo escalated under the Yugoslav government, many workers brought their families over. Seasonal workers became permanent residents, and labour migration became the immigration of families – the foundation of today's second and third generation.
The Kosovo War 1998/99
The war in Kosovo drove over 50'000 people to Switzerland – relative to its population, hardly any country took in more refugees. Many stayed after the war ended, because their families had long since become rooted here. This wave of refugees still shapes the community today: a large part of Switzerland's Albanian population has roots in Kosovo.
Recognition of Kosovo and naturalisation (since 2008)
In 2005, Switzerland was the first country to call for a discussion on Kosovo's independence at the UN, and it recognised the young state on 27 February 2008 as of the first states in Europe – day before Austria. Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey explicitly cited the large Kosovar community in Switzerland as an argument and is today an honorary citizen of Kosovo. This rootedness also shows in the naturalisation statistics: in 2025, 2'106 Kosovars received the Swiss passport – fourth place among all nationalities.
Which language do Albanians in Switzerland speak?
The diaspora comes mostly from Kosovo and North Macedonia and therefore predominantly speaks Gheg dialects – standard Albanian, by contrast, is based on the southern Tosk variety. After English, Albanian is Switzerland's second-largest non-national language.
At the same time, experts observe a creeping loss of language: according to SRF, a complete language shift typically takes place over three to four generations – the first generation speaks Albanian better than German, the third often rudimentarily. From the second generation, many people of Albanian descent speak Swiss German even among themselves.
Working against this is the Shkolla Shqipe: the teachers' and parents' association LAPSH "Naim Frashëri" organises voluntary Albanian lessons in 18 cantons, with 152 classes and over 1'800 pupils (as of 2024). That is, however, a small share of all Albanian-speaking children – the courses take place outside school hours and usually come at a cost.
What religion do Albanians in Switzerland have?
Albanians in Switzerland are predominantly Sunni Muslims; alongside them there are Bektashis as well as over 20'000 Christians, mainly Albanian Orthodox and Catholic. The Albanian-Islamic umbrella association DAIGS represents around 50 mosque communities across the country. Official percentages do not exist, because the BFS does not report religious affiliation separately for Albanians.
Typically Albanian is the pragmatic approach to religion. As far back as the 19th century, the poet Pashko Vasa wrote: "The religion of the Albanian is Albanianism" – a call to place religious differences behind the shared language and culture. To this day, Muslim, Catholic and Orthodox Albanians in Switzerland still celebrate the same festivals together.
How well integrated are Albanians in Switzerland?
Hardly any immigrant group has experienced such a clear change in image. In the 1990s and 2000s, prejudices dominated: at the time, surveys ranked Albanians among the least desired immigrant groups, and in everyday life many reported discrimination when looking for jobs and housing – experiences that still shape the second generation today.
Today's reality looks different. According to Blick, in German-speaking Switzerland alone over 6'000 companies are in the hands of entrepreneurs of Albanian descent – from construction and gastronomy to care. The business association Swissalbs connects around 650 members and each year honours the best companies in the community. The number of Kosovar students at Swiss universities increased sevenfold between 2008 and 2017, from 67 to around 460. And since 2023, Albanians have sat in the federal parliament in Bern and in cantonal governments – more on that shortly.
Famous Albanians in Switzerland
Hardly anything shows the rise of the community as clearly as its best-known names – from the captain of the national team through Eurovision to the National Council.
Football
- Granit Xhaka – born in Basel, family from Podujevo (Kosovo); captain and record international for Switzerland, German champion with Leverkusen. His brother Taulant played for Albania – at Euro 2016 the brothers faced each other in opposing teams, the first pair of brothers in the tournament's history to do so.
- Xherdan Shaqiri – born near Gjilan (Kosovo), grew up in Augst BL; Champions League winner, three Bundesliga titles with Bayern, back at FC Basel since 2024.
- Ardon Jashari – born in Cham ZG, family from North Macedonia; midfielder for AC Milan and the national team, previously the youngest captain in FC Luzern history.
- Valon Behrami – from Mitrovica (Kosovo); 83 caps and the first Swiss player to appear at four consecutive World Cup finals.
- Blerim Džemaili and Admir Mehmedi – both with roots in North Macedonia, together over 130 caps for Switzerland.
Music and culture
- Gjon's Tears – father from Kosovo, mother from Tirana; took third place at the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with "Tout l'univers", at the time the best Swiss result since 1993.
- Loredana – born in Lucerne, family from Ferizaj (Kosovo); of the most-streamed German-language female rappers.
- Elina Duni – jazz singer from Tirana, trained in Bern; ECM artist and winner of the Swiss Jazz Award 2025.
- Patrick Nuo – Lucerne pop singer with a Kosovo-Albanian father, breakthrough in 2003 with "5 Days".
Politics and business
- Islam Alijaj (SP, Zurich) – elected in 2023 with 95'054 votes as the first member of the National Council with Albanian roots; the disability rights activist came to Switzerland from Kosovo at the age of.
- Ylfete Fanaj (SP, Lucerne) – since 2023 the first cantonal government councillor in Switzerland with Kosovar roots; she heads the Lucerne Department of Justice and Security.
- Arbër Bullakaj (SP, St. Gallen) – took his seat in April 2026 as the second parliamentarian with Albanian roots to join the National Council.
- Përparim Avdili (FDP, Zurich) – president of the FDP of the City of Zurich and co-founder and president of Swissalbs.
- Liridona Makica – founded the home-care service Spitex Dona in 2021, today with around 50 employees, and in 2024 became the first woman to win the Swissalbs entrepreneur award.
The Albanian community in Switzerland today
Today's community is superbly organised. The Alba Festival in Zurich is the largest Albanian music festival outside the Albanian-speaking area and most recently drew around 25'000 visitors. The platform albinfo.ch has reported trilingually on the diaspora since 2009, since May 2011 an umbrella association based in Bern has represented the concerns of Albanians, and Swissalbs connects the business world. Added to this are countless football clubs, dance groups, parents' associations and the Shkolla Shqipe.
The community is also growing together digitally – and here dua.com builds a double bridge. On the hand, the largest dating and community app for Albanians connects people within Switzerland with each other: anyone living in Zurich, Aargau, St. Gallen or Geneva can find other Albanians nearby here, instead of hoping to bump into them by chance at a festival. On the other hand, dua.com keeps the connection to the worldwide diaspora and back to the homeland open. Over million verified users are already on board. To learn how origin and culture shape getting to know another, read How are Albanians in a relationship? and Albanian women: beauty, strength and tradition.
The Albanian history of Switzerland is thus long since no longer a mere migration story. It is the story of a community that is at home in two cultures – and that helps shape Switzerland in sport, business, culture and politics.
Frequently asked questions about Albanians in Switzerland
When did the first Albanians come to Switzerland?
The first Albanians came to Switzerland in the 1960s as seasonal workers and guest workers, and from 1964 also through the recruitment of Yugoslav workers by the Swiss Farmers' Association. Until the 1980s they were almost exclusively men who worked in construction and agriculture.
How many Kosovars live in Switzerland?
At the end of 2024, 116'425 people with Kosovar nationality lived in Switzerland (BFS). Added to this are tens of thousands of naturalised citizens: as early as 2010, the SEM diaspora study estimated the Kosovar community at 150'000 to 170'000 people. This makes Switzerland of the most important countries of the Kosovar diaspora worldwide.
Is Albanian the second-largest non-national language in Switzerland?
Yes. After English, Albanian is the second most spoken non-national language in Switzerland: over 300'000 people – around 3.5 percent of the population – state Albanian as their main language. This makes Albanian of the most spoken languages in the country.
In which canton do the most Albanians live?
In absolute terms, the canton of Zurich leads with around 48'500 Albanian speakers. The highest share of the population, however, is in Aargau with 4.9 percent, followed by St. Gallen and Glarus. Among Kosovar nationals, Aargau, with 19'185 people, is even ahead of Zurich.
How many Albanian companies are there in Switzerland?
According to estimates, in German-speaking Switzerland alone over 6'000 companies are in the hands of entrepreneurs of Albanian descent. The business association Swissalbs connects around 650 members and each year honours the most successful of them with its entrepreneur award.
Which famous Swiss have Albanian roots?
Among the best-known are the footballers Granit Xhaka, Xherdan Shaqiri and Ardon Jashari, the rapper Loredana, Eurovision star Gjon's Tears, National Councillor Islam Alijaj and cantonal government councillor Ylfete Fanaj. They all stand for a generation that helps shape Switzerland in sport, culture, politics and business.
What is the Alba Festival in Zurich?
The Alba Festival is the largest Albanian music festival outside the Albanian-speaking area. It has been held in Zurich since 2019 and most recently drew around 25'000 visitors. The festival is regarded as the most important meeting point of the Albanian community in Switzerland.
Where can you meet Albanians in Switzerland?
In everyday life through associations, community events such as the Alba Festival or Albanian venues – and specifically through dua.com, the largest dating and community app for Albanians worldwide. There you will find verified profiles from all over Switzerland, from Zurich through Aargau to Geneva.
