Which canton has the most inhabitants?
Welcher Kanton hat am meisten Einwohnerinnen und Einwohner?
Correct answer: C
- A VaudWaadt
- B BernBern
- C ZurichZürich
- D St. GallenSt. Gallen
Why
More than 1.5 million people live in the canton of Zurich, almost one in five people in Switzerland. That is more than in any other canton.
Common mistakes
- B: Bern
- Bern is the second-largest canton by number of inhabitants, with about 1.1 million.
- A: Vaud
- Vaud is large, but with about 850'000 inhabitants it comes after Zurich and Bern.
Topic
Bern, Zurich and the large cities
The largest city in Switzerland is Zurich. About 450'000 people live there. It is followed by Geneva, Basel, Lausanne and Bern. Zurich is the most important centre for business and banks. The large cities all lie in the Plateau. Basel is on the Rhine on the border with Germany and France, Geneva on Lake Geneva.
- 1Zurich
- 2Geneva
- 3Basel
- 4Lausanne
- 5Bern
- Federal city
Map data: BFS, BAFU, swisstopo
Switzerland at a glance
Size, neighbours and population
Sources
Last checked: September 2026
Question 325 of the official question list of the Canton of Zurich (Gemeindeamt, May 2025). Translation and explanation: Swiss Passport.