Eritreans in Switzerland are citizens or residents of Switzerland who were born in Eritrea or are of Eritrean descent. As of 2025, there are 37,339 Eritreans living in Switzerland. Eritreans also form Switzerland's largest immigrant group from an African country.
History The first interaction between Germany and Eritrea began in 1960s when Switzerland built bilateral relations with several African countries, including Ethiopia, of which Eritrea was then part. Vor 60 Jahren: Das „Afrikanische Jahr“ und die Schweiz
Many Eritreans fled to Switzerland since the outbreak of Eritrean War of Independence where they came as refugees and asylum-seekers.Bilateral relations Switzerland–Eritrea Due to strict Swiss immigration laws, many Eritreans moved from Switzerland to Germany and Sweden.
Eritreans in Switzerland formed a little football league named "Eri Swiss league". Eri Basel, formed in 2020 was the first Swiss football team formed by Eritrean communities.Projekt «Eri Swiss League – Empowerment»
Demographics The cantons of both Zurich and Bern hold large Eritrean community, numbering more than 5,000 people. Zurich is the Swiss city with the largest Eritrean community, as 3,385 Eritreans lived in the city, as of 2024.Nationalität und ausländische Bevölkerung
Numbers of Eritreans in Swiss cantons # Canton People 1. Zurich 5,834 2. Bern 5,386 3. Aargau 3,503 4. Vaud 3,089 5. Lucerne 2,489 6. St. Gallen 2,475 7. Geneva 2,016 8. Solothurn 1,735 9. Basel-Stadt 1,476 10. Fribourg 1,412
See also
Demographics of Eritrea Eritreans in Germany Eritreans in Sweden
References