Switzerland: observed built density
26 cantons · 2’076 municipalities with parcel data · Parcel data as of July 2025
- Parcels
- 3’583’813
- Municipal zones
- 40’919
- Median utilization
- 10 %
- Median GFZ
- 0.09
- Median height
- 9.5 m
- Median floors
- 2.3
About Switzerland
The parcel data covers 26 cantons and 2’076 municipalities, with 3’583’813 parcels in 40’919 municipal zone records. The cantons with the most parcels are Valais, Bern and Zurich.
The median parcel is built to a volume utilization of 10 %; half of the parcels lie between 5 % and 95 %.
The median building height is 9.5 m at 2.3 floors, and the median floor-area ratio (GFZ) is 0.09. Parcels built in the last 20 years reach a mean volume utilization of 156 % (316’701 parcels), lower than the 166 % across all building years.
Parcels by municipal zone
| Zone | Parcels |
|---|---|
| Other zones (16’997) | 3’583’813 |
Zone labels are municipal spellings, so one zone type can appear under several names.
Volume utilization (ratioV)
Of the 3’536’968 parcels with a value, half lie between 5 % and 95 %. The median is 10 % and the mean 128 %.
Share of parcels by range
- below 50 %58 %
- 50 % to below 100 %19 %
- 100 % to below 150 %12 %
- 150 % and above10 %
Floor-area ratio (GFZ)
Of the 3’536’387 parcels with a value, half lie between 0.05 and 0.50. The median is 0.09 and the mean 0.36.
Share of parcels by range
- below 0.5075 %
- 0.50 to below 1.0015 %
- 1.00 to below 1.505 %
- 1.50 and above5 %
Building height
Of the 1’473’162 parcels with a value, half lie between 7.8 m and 11.6 m. The median is 9.5 m and the mean 10.0 m.
Share of parcels by range
- below 8 m27 %
- 8 m to below 12 m52 %
- 12 m to below 20 m18 %
- 20 m and above2 %
Number of floors
Of the 1’320’999 parcels with a value, half lie between 1.8 and 3.1. The median is 2.3 and the mean 2.5.
Share of parcels by range
- below 212 %
- 2 to below 345 %
- 3 to below 537 %
- 5 and above5 %
Building age cohorts
Mean volume utilization of the parcels built inside each window, from all years on record down to the last five. The windows overlap: the last 20 years include the last 5.
| Built in | Parcels | Mean utilization |
|---|---|---|
| All years | 3’583’810 | 166 % |
| Last 60 years | 1’073’389 | 186 % |
| Last 40 years | 728’830 | 164 % |
| Last 20 years | 316’701 | 156 % |
| Last 15 years | 221’561 | 146 % |
| Last 10 years | 120’739 | 141 % |
| Last 5 years | 51’947 | 145 % |
Cantons
| Name | Parcels | Zones | Median utilization | Median height | Median floors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valais | 587’840 | 3’505 | 7 % | 8.4 m | 2.3 |
| Bern | 451’836 | 6’234 | 32 % | 9.5 m | 2.3 |
| Zurich | 390’156 | 3’083 | 40 % | 10.5 m | 2.8 |
| Aargau | 310’429 | 3’881 | 35 % | 9.3 m | 2.2 |
| Vaud | 283’910 | 4’052 | 9 % | - | 2.4 |
| Graubünden | 227’799 | 2’331 | 8 % | 9.2 m | 2.3 |
| St. Gallen | 189’426 | 1’647 | 58 % | 9.6 m | 2.4 |
| Ticino | 144’351 | 2’261 | 10 % | 8.7 m | 1.9 |
| Thurgau | 136’704 | 1’747 | 24 % | 9.7 m | 2.3 |
| Basel-Landschaft | 127’009 | 1’985 | 41 % | 9.6 m | 2.1 |
| Lucerne | 120’922 | 1’873 | 49 % | - | 2.4 |
| Solothurn | 120’239 | 1’802 | 29 % | 9.2 m | 2.2 |
| Fribourg | 77’119 | 1’643 | 86 % | 8.9 m | 2.3 |
| Geneva | 72’748 | 342 | 49 % | 9.3 m | 2.4 |
| Neuchâtel | 61’927 | 378 | 12 % | - | 2.6 |
| Schwyz | 49’955 | 648 | 62 % | 10.2 m | 2.6 |
| Schaffhausen | 46’054 | 487 | 9 % | 10.0 m | 2.3 |
| Jura | 30’250 | 1’430 | 87 % | - | 2.2 |
| Appenzell Ausserrhoden | 27’591 | 239 | 52 % | 10.3 m | 2.7 |
| Glarus | 24’652 | 144 | 69 % | 9.3 m | 2.4 |
| Basel-Stadt | 22’358 | 72 | 99 % | 14.6 m | 3.3 |
| Zug | 20’115 | 255 | 59 % | 11.1 m | 2.9 |
| Uri | 18’414 | 349 | 58 % | 9.4 m | 2.4 |
| Obwalden | 17’323 | 197 | 42 % | - | 2.3 |
| Appenzell Innerrhoden | 12’417 | 66 | 20 % | 9.6 m | 2.2 |
| Nidwalden | 12’269 | 268 | 60 % | - | 2.8 |
How to read this page
room shows observed built density: what has been built on the parcels, not what the zoning permits. Volume utilization (ratioV) compares the built volume of a parcel with the reference volume of its municipal zone type. The floor-area ratio (GFZ) is floor area divided by parcel area; building height and number of floors are taken from the buildings on a parcel. Figures pool all municipal zones of the area. Medians and quartiles are read from bins 10 points (ratioV), 0.1 (GFZ), 2 m (height) and 1 floor wide, so they are exact to within one bin; means are exact. A parcel counts in a distribution only when the parcel data has a value for it. The floors distribution leaves out parcels without a building (0 floors).