Canton's population up by 2,045

Over the course of last year, 2,045 people moved to the canton, bringing its total population to 122,134.
This increase in population, at 1.7%, is actually the highest of any canton in the country, the average for 2015 being 1.1%.
 
Commenting on these latest figures, which are based on those from the Swiss Federal Office of Statistics, Urs Hürlimann, the director of planning in the canton, said, “What is evident is that the canton is clearly very attractive for migrants,” and he put this down to its favourable economic climate and its low taxes, while also mentioning the high level of public safety and the beautiful surroundings of the area as further reasons for people to move here. However, he also pointed out that other central Swiss cantons also showed an increase in population, with as many as 4,158 people moving to Lucerne over the course of 2015. Only in the canton of Uri (of the six central Swiss cnatons) did the population decline over the course of last year.
 
Returning to the figures for Zug, some 3,142 people moved here from abroad last year, with 2,162 leaving. 3,891 people came from other parts of Switzerland, while 3,457 left for other cantons. One quarter of the growth in population in the canton of Zug can be accounted for by the fact that 1,295 babies were born here, compared with 560 people dying.
 
As to the proportion of foreigners living in the canton, this rose by 0.7% over the course of 2015 to 27% or 32,977 in all. Of these foreigners, one fifth of them were German. Indeed, this nationality accounts for 20.3% of all foreigners resident here. The second largest group were Italians, who make up 9.3% of the population. British subjects account for 6.6% of the population.
 
Hürlimann, a politician of the FDP party, went on to say what an important role foreigners played in the canton. “We need these people for our economy and for our health system,” he said, as he explained how many were employed in these areas.
 
What was also interesting to discover from the statistics was where all these foreigners in the canton lived. Most of them, or 33.4% of them, lived in Walchwil, with Hünenberg the municipality with the fewest foreigners at just 16.7%. “This is due in part to the type of housing available in Hünenberg, where there are few large developments,” he explained. This is where Hürlimann himself lives; indeed, his wife, Regula, is mayoress of the municipality.
 
A further 32% of foreigners live in the city of Zug, though this was not surprising with all the international firms based there and the people they employ.
 
Looking to the future, Hürlimann quoted the number of people forecast to live here by 2040, namely 148,000. Could the smallest (non-city) canton the country cope with this? “We take this figure very seriously and hence make policy with regard to land-use planning and traffic with the utmost responsibility,” said Hürlimann.